Evidence
18 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-18).
-
[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AFDL-29' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS AFDL-29' 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-29-afdl29-cl-name-opinion
-
[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AFDL-29' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS AFDL-29' 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-29-afdl29-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDL-29' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AFDL-29' 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-29-afdl29-cl-hull-opinion
-
[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDL-29' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AFDL-29' returned 45 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-29-afdl29-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. 608 (digitized official publication via shipscribe.com) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3.pdf, printed p. 608 (PDF p. 627), Floating Dry Dock Characteristics table, row '7AFD29' within the 'Navrepbase, San Diego, Calif.' location block (AFD19-AFD30); footnotes 1-21 at end of table (printed p. 611)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official Bureau of Ships characteristics table, 'Floating Dry Dock Characteristics' (Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Vol. III, p. 608): '7AFD29' - the superscript-7 flag marking a 'Military dock' (table footnote 7: 'Military docks. All other docks are non-military.') - type 'do' (1-piece, steel); nominal lifted capacity 1,000 tons; suitable in general for docking 'YN, AM' vessels; length over-all 200 ft, on pontoon 200 ft, over blocks 185 ft; width molded 64 ft, clear inside 45 ft; draft over blocks 14 ft 6 in, maximum when submerged 27 ft, light 3 ft 5 in; construction start 1943, finish 1944. The row's Location column reads 'Navrepbase, San Diego, Calif.' - per table footnote 1 ('Docks for which location is not given are assigned to advance bases'), the dock's assigned location at the table's compilation was the Navy Repair Base, San Diego - a stateside assignment, not an advance base.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1945 (construction years through publication date)
- Population
- Dock crew (military dock) and serviced-vessel repair parties
- Limitations
- Establishes official characteristics, construction years, and the tabulated assigned location as of the table's data compilation (published 15 April 1945; data currency date not stated). Does not document actual movements, forward deployment, or the dock's station on any specific date - the location column reflects assignment/location at compilation, not builder identity (the table does not name builders). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-01
-
[6]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 [other_primary]
- Locator
- bases-9.html, 'Types of Floating Drydocks,' 'Auxiliary Floating Dock,' and 'Auxiliary Floating Dock, Lengthened' sections; 1946 classification-modification paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Bureau of Yards and Docks history defines the AFD type under which this hull was built: 'Mobile, military, steel trough type, unit dock, with faired bow and stern, of 1,000 tons lifting capacity,' intended for docking minesweepers, patrol craft, and similar vessels - 'entirely of welded steel construction... fully self-contained, with diesel electric power plants, and contained limited repair facilities.' Construction of the AFDs '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 chapter also records the 1946 nomenclature revision under which 'the AFD's became AFDL's' (Auxiliary Floating Drydock Little, less than 10,000 tons) - the reclassification that renamed this craft AFDL-29. Five AFDs were lengthened to 288 ft/1,900 tons by inserting an 88-ft section amidships; AFD-29 was not one of them (it remains in the standard 200-ft Ships' Data block).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- Dock crew (wartime)
- Limitations
- Establishes the type's design, construction program structure, and the designation change applying to this hull; does not identify this dock's individual builder or stations. Contains no asbestos information - 'limited repair facilities' and 'diesel electric power plants' describe function, not materials.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-02
-
[7]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 table; row '10 | AFD 29 | Lt. (jg) R. F. Fowler (USNR)' (leading numeral is an unexplained column code, not a crew figure)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- On 1 May 1945 the U.S. Pacific Fleet organization lists 'AFD 29' under Service Squadron TWO, Service Force, Pacific Fleet (Commander Service Squadron TWO: V. Adm. W. W. Smith; flagship AG 31 Argonne), with commanding officer Lt. (jg) R. F. Fowler (USNR). The listing shows sister docks AFD 9, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26 and lengthened AFDL 7 and AFDL 32 - establishing AFD-29 as a U.S. Navy crewed floating drydock in commissioned wartime service in the Pacific Fleet organization.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-05-01
- Population
- Dock crew (officer-led detachment)
- Limitations
- Establishes administrative squadron assignment and commanding officer on 1945-05-01, not the dock's physical location - the document gives no station for the unit. The CO's initials differ from the BBBO appendix rendering ('R. F. Fowler' vs 'R.I. Fowler') - most plausibly the same officer, flagged as a transcription discrepancy rather than resolved. Does not establish asbestos information of any kind.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-03
-
[8]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-29 - Lt(jg) R.I. Fowler'; glossary entry 'AFD'; chapters BBBO-1 through BBBO-31 full-text scan (no AFD-29 mention)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Navy logistics history's appendix of floating-drydock commanding officers lists 'AFD-29 - Lt(jg) R.I. Fowler' (a slightly different initial rendering than the May 1945 organization's 'Lt. (jg) R. F. Fowler (USNR)' - the same officer in all likelihood, flagged as a discrepancy). 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.' A full-text scan of all 31 BBBO chapters finds no operational narrative mention of AFD-29 - the dock appears only in this appendix.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Dock crew (officer-led detachment)
- Limitations
- Documents an officer assignment and the type, not this dock's individual stations or movements; the appendix does not date Fowler's tenure. The absence of a narrative mention is itself a finding: the official history names the dock only in the CO roster. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-04
-
[9]Tim Colton, shipbuildinghistory.com, 'US Navy Dry Docks AFDB AFDM AFDL ARDM ARD YFD' table and the compiler's Doullut & Ewin yard table (secondary compilations) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- auxafd.htm, AFDL table row '29' (Doullot & Ewin, Mobile AL, 800, 200, Sep-44, Scrapped 1983); shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/doullut.htm row 'AFD 29 | U.S. Navy | Dry-Dock | 800 | 1944 | Later AFDL 29, scrapped 1983'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary build attribution: the shipbuildinghistory.com U.S. Navy floating-drydock table lists 'AFDL | 29 | | Doullot & Ewin | Mobile AL | 800 | 200 | Sep-44 | Scrapped 1983' - an 800-ton-lift, 200-ft dock built by Doullut & Ewin at Mobile, Alabama, delivered September 1944, disposition scrapped 1983. The compiler's Doullut & Ewin yard table independently lists 'AFD 29 | U.S. Navy | Dry-Dock | 800 | 1944 | Later AFDL 29, scrapped 1983' among six consecutive AFD docks (24-29) attributed to the firm. The September 1944 delivery is consistent with the NARA deck-log start of 1944-09-16.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1944 (build); 1983 (reported disposal)
- Population
- Construction trades at the build yard (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation, not a primary record - the compiler's own header warns that drydock builder attribution 'is far from complete.' The 800-ton figure is the table's tonnage convention (the official Ships' Data table gives the nominal lifted capacity as 1,000 tons). 'Scrapped 1983' is unverified against any primary disposal document - the dock is not on the NVR (pre-1987 disposals excluded) and no stricken date was located. No builder was inferred: the attribution comes from the compilation itself, corroborated by the firm's own yard table and the uswarships index. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-05
-
[10]National Archives, Special List #44 (by Ship Numbers) - List of Logbooks of U.S. Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Special List #44, ship-number sequence: 'AFD-29 9/16/1944 6/30/1945' and 'AFDL-29 8/14/1946 1/16/1947'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds deck logs for this hull under both designations: 'AFD-29' covering 9/16/1944-6/30/1945 (the wartime series) and 'AFDL-29' covering 8/14/1946-1/16/1947 (a post-war series beginning days after the 1946-08-01 AFD-to-AFDL reclassification). The craft was therefore in service keeping deck logs from mid-September 1944 through at least mid-January 1947. These logs are the best unretrieved lead for her stations, tows, dockings performed, crew, and the transition between designations.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-09-16 to 1947-01-16 (holdings coverage)
- Population
- AFD-29/AFDL-29 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). The gap between 1945-06-30 and 1946-08-14 is unexplained by the list itself (logs may be unheld, kept under another unit, or the dock inactive). Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-06
-
[11]National Archives, Ship Plan Index (cartographic records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Ship Plan Index row: 'AFDL-29 | AFDL-29 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026'
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The NARA Ship Plan Index lists a plan for AFDL-29 on microfilm roll 385 (identifier 63531026) - the same microfilm file unit holding the other surviving AFD-type dock plans - a potential primary record of the dock's construction/outfitting specification, including any insulation-material callouts.
- 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-29-afdl29-07
-
[12]NavSource Naval History Service Craft Photo Archive index (AFD/AFDL index page) and uswarships.jounin.jp AFDL compilation (secondary indexes) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- navsource.net/archives/14/03idx.htm index row 'AFD-29 / AFDL-29' (unlinked); uswarships.jounin.jp/afdl.htm AFDL-29 row; navsource.net/archives/09/28/2829.htm returns HTTP 500 (no Wayback capture located)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The NavSource service-craft index lists 'AFD-29 / AFDL-29' as an unlinked entry (no detail page or DANFS history exists for this hull - the sibling index shows the wartime AFD numbers folded into the AFDL series); the uswarships AFDL compilation independently attributes the dock to the Doullut/Ewin yard and notes only the reclassification to 'small floating dock (non-self-propelled) (AFDL-29).' NavSource's sibling pages give the standard reclassification date as 1 August 1946.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Secondary indexes corroborating designation pairing and builder attribution; the uswarships compilation itself derives from shipbuildinghistory and NavSource. NavSource's generic class specification block (288 ft/1,900 tons) applies to the lengthened AFDLs and does not fit this standard 200-ft hull - not carried. No DANFS entry exists for this unnamed craft. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-08
-
[13]AFD-type design features as documented in the Bureau of Yards and Docks official history (welded-steel self-contained dock with diesel-electric power plants, ballast-pumping plant, limited repair facilities, and crew accommodations) and the May 1945 Pacific Fleet organization (commissioned officer assigned) [other_primary]
- Locator
- bases-9.html 'Auxiliary Floating Dock' paragraph (diesel-electric power plants, self-contained, limited repair facilities); Pacific Fleet org Service Squadron TWO (officer-led crew)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- A crewed welded-steel craft of 1943-44 with machinery spaces (diesel-electric power generation and ballast-pumping plant integral to its docking function), limited repair facilities, and 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
- 1943-1947
- Population
- Construction trades at build yard (1943-44); dock crew (1944-47); serviced-vessel repair parties
- Limitations
- Class/era inference only - no hull-specific insulation survey, plan sheet, or material list located for AFD-29/AFDL-29. 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-29-afdl29-09
-
[14]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 1943-44 Navy-contracted 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-29-afdl29-10
-
[15]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)
- 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. Relevant to this hull's reported 1983 scrapping only insofar as any retained original material would have persisted into the disposal era.
- 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, whose post-1947 trail is undocumented. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch); description via product page.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-11
-
[16]Batch-587 search ledger (this record): Ships' Data 1945 Vol. III; Pacific Fleet organization; BBBO chapters and appendix; BuY&D Building the Navy's Bases Ch. IX; NARA Special List 44 and Ship Plan Index; Naval Vessel Register; NavSource; shipbuildinghistory.com auxafd and Doullut yard tables; uswarships; DANFS/hazegray; CourtListener [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-01 through sl-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-14
- 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-29 or AFDL-29 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). The official characteristics table, the Pacific Fleet organization, the BuY&D design history, the NARA holdings lists, and the secondary indexes all contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement. 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 - the NARA ship plan (microfilm roll 385) and deck logs are unretrieved and could change this finding. 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-29-afdl29-12
-
[17]Batch-587 litigation sweep: CourtListener API v4 attempts (HTTP 429, shared 125/day quota) plus web-indexed court-record sweeps (site:courtlistener.com, RECAP storage, Justia/OpenJurist aggregators) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-09 and sl-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-10
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No litigation naming AFD-29 or AFDL-29 was located. CourtListener API opinion queries were rate-limited (HTTP 429) and deferred per the backoff rule; web-indexed sweeps across CourtListener/RECAP and case-law aggregators returned no opinion or docket naming this hull - returned hits were name collisions (Assistant Federal Defender 'AFD' personnel documents, 'AD-29' federal pay-grade references, unrelated fire-department and fuel-distributor matters) and generic Navy-asbestos filings unrelated to the hull.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2026-09-20
- Limitations
- The API-level check is incomplete (429-limited during the research window) - a docket or opinion naming the hull could exist outside the indexed sweeps performed. Absence of a located filing is not proof that no claim was ever made; it records only that no public court record naming this dock was found.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-13
-
[18]Keller v. Dravo Corporation, 441 F.2d 1239 (5th Cir. 1971), cert. denied 404 U.S. 1017 (1972) [court_record]
- Locator
- 441 F.2d 1239, at 1244 (5th Cir. 1971), cert. denied 404 U.S. 1017, 92 S.Ct. 679, 30 L.Ed.2d 665 (1972)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Doctrinal context for the vessel type: the Fifth Circuit held 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' - the controlling doctrine channeling drydock-worker injury claims toward LHWCA-type remedies rather than vessel-crew status. Floating drydocks occupy a distinct legal posture in maritime injury doctrine, the frame any personnel claim involving this craft type would meet.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1971
- Population
- Shipyard/drydock workers (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-operated dock in the case; does not determine the status of any hypothetical claim involving AFDL-29. Reporter citation cross-verified; direct CourtListener pull deferred (API blocked).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-29-afdl29-14