Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]Bureau of Ships, Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, Vol. 3 (NAVSHIPS 250-012, 1945), 'Floating Dry Dock Characteristics' table pp. 606-611 with footnotes p. 611 (shipscribe.com scan of the official BuShips publication; Google-digitized) [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 p. 607, ARDC-8 row (between 'Puget Sound, Navy Yard.' and 'Hurley Marine Works, Oakland, Calif.' location entries); footnotes 1 and 7 at p. 611
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The SDB Floating Dry Dock Characteristics table carries a per-dock row for ARDC-8: type 'do' (1-piece, concrete); nominal lifted capacity 2,800 tons; suitable for docking DD, SS, LST; length overall 389'0"; molded width 84'0"; width clear inside 58'0"; construction start 1943, finish 1944. The row carries footnote marker 7 - 'Military docks. All other docks are non-military' (p. 611) - making ARDC-8 one of the six militarized (self-contained) docks of the class (the seven unmarked ARDCs were non-military). Its Location cell is blank; per table footnote 1, 'Docks for which location is not given are assigned to advance bases.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- Crew of militarized ARDC: 5 officers, 84 enlisted (class-level)
- Limitations
- Official wartime BuShips publication carrying a per-dock row for this hull - confirms identity, type, lift capacity, militarized/self-contained status, advance-base assignment, and 1943-44 construction window. OCR of the scanned table is columnar and partially garbled; values were read from the rendered page image (printed pp. 606-611). The specific advance base is not named. Contains no materials, insulation, or asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-01
-
[2]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive - AFDL-41 ex USS ARDC-8 (file 09/28/7341; contributors Robert Hurst, Gallery of the Open Frontier/Univ. of Nebraska Press; page created by Gary P. Priolo, maintained by David L. Wright) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource AFDL-41 page, 'ARDC-1 Class Small Auxiliary Floating Repair Dock (Concrete)' service chronology + specifications block
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource hull page records: 'Built in 1944 by Tidewater Construction Corp., Wilmington, N. C.; Delivered and placed in commission as USS ARDC-8 in December 1944; Redesignated AFDL-41, 1 August 1946; Placed out of service, date unknown; Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; Sold in 1983 to North Florida Shipyard; Final Disposition, fate unknown.' Specifications: displacement 8,300 t. (lt); length 389'; beam/draft/lifting capacity listed unknown. Awards listed: American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal. Commanding officers: LT. Watson F. V., USN (acting CO), 1950. 'There is no DANFS history available for USS ARDC-8 / AFDL-41.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944-1983 (chronology); page last updated 2015-08-14
- Limitations
- Standard secondary reference compilation - consistent with the official SDB row and NVR detail on every checkable point (builder, commissioning month, concrete-dock identity, 1983 disposal). Redesignation date 1 August 1946 matches the documented 1946 program-wide nomenclature change. 'Date unknown' fields for out-of-service and striking mean those milestones are undocumented, not absent. Not a primary record; carries no materials or asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-02
-
[3]U.S. National Archives photographs, Record Group 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments; Eleventh Naval District / Long Beach), Historical Photograph Files (NAID 295520): ARDC-8 at Naval Station San Pedro, CA, 30 June 1945 (NARA ID 295540); 'Naval Air Station, San Pedro: July 13, 1945 - ARDC-8, Vertical View during Tow' (NARA ID 295535; NAIL control NRHL-181-ND11LBHP-NASSP-GOF03/-GOF04) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA IDs 295540 and 295535 (file unit 'Naval Air Station, San Pedro, 1945', NAID 295532); image captions transcribed on NavSource 09/28/7341 and Wikimedia Commons file page
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy photographs in NARA document ARDC-8 at Naval Station San Pedro, CA on 30 June 1945 and under tow off the southern California coast (aerial 'vertical view during tow' near Naval Air Station San Pedro) on 13 July 1945 - a commissioned concrete auxiliary repair dock at/in transit off the West Coast five weeks before V-J Day, consistent with its advance-base assignment per the SDB table's blank-location convention (footnote 1).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-06-30 to 1945-07-13
- Population
- Dock crew (89 for a militarized ARDC) and towing-vessel crews
- Limitations
- Documents location and tow status at two mid-1945 dates only; does not establish the tow's destination, where the dock was ultimately stationed, when it arrived, or any post-1945 service. Catalog metadata only - no narrative record, no materials or asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-03
-
[4]Naval Vessel Register detail page 'NO NAME (AFDL 41) (ex - ARDC 8)' + NVR QUICKFIND non-active hulls list (live pages now redirect to the NVR index; verbatim text retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback captures 20161106011301 and 20160927035925; NVR page last updated 2000-09-11) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR SHIPSDETAIL_AFDL_41.HTML (Wayback 20161106011301); QUICKFIND/SHIPSDETAIL_INACTIVE_N.HTML row 'NO NAME AFDL 41 06/01/1983' (Wayback 20160927035925)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The official Naval Vessel Register records: 'NO NAME (AFDL 41) (ex - ARDC 8)'; type 'SMALL AUXILIARY FLOATING DRY DOCK (N-S-P)'; UIC 05038; class 'AFDL 35'; status 'Disposed of by transfer to other Government Agencies, States. Schools, Sea Scouts, etc.'; date status changed 06/01/1983; hull material 'Concrete hull, steel frames or reinforcing frames'; propulsion type 'none'; custodian 'SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISES'. All milestone fields (award, keel, launch, delivery, commission, decommission, inactivation, stricken) blank.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1983 (register last updated 2000)
- Limitations
- Official registry - establishes the ARDC-8 to AFDL-41 designation continuity, concrete hull with steel framing, non-self-propelled status, and the 06/01/1983 disposal. The NVR disposal wording is a generic category that includes private-enterprise custodians; the commercial record (NavSource, shipbuildinghistory) identifies the recipient as North Florida Shipyard, consistent with 'PRIVATE ENTERPRISES' custodian. No stricken date recorded; contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-04
-
[5]Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps, 1940-1946, Vol. I, Chapter IX 'Floating Drydocks' (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1947; HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX, 'Auxiliary Repair Docks, Concrete' section (printed pp. 217-218); type reclassification note (printed p. 210)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official BuDocks history: in 1943, additional-drydock requirements plus the critical steel-plate shortage led the Bureau to design and build thirteen 2,800-ton reinforced-concrete docks designated ARDC - monolithic open-trough structures with faired hull lines, 389 ft long, 84 ft wide, 40 ft deep overall, pontoons 14 ft deep, wing walls tapering 13.5 to 10 ft; ~3,300 cu yd of concrete per dock. 'Six of these docks were militarized and equipped with three diesel engines each, directly connected to 200-kw alternating-current generators for the main electric power supply. These docks were also provided with air compressors, refrigerating, heating, and ventilating equipment, and with water evaporators. They carried a crew of five officers and 84 men. The other seven docks of this class were not fully self-contained and required power supply from shore.' Each wing wall carried a diesel or diesel-electric 5-ton traveling job crane (42-ft reach). Eight were built at Wilmington, N.C., and five at San Pedro, Calif., in dry basins excavated for the purpose. 'Five of the self-contained docks of this class were towed to advance bases in the Pacific or to Pearl Harbor.' In the 1946 nomenclature consolidation, 'the [A]RDC's became AFDL(C)'s.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1946
- Population
- WWII floating-drydock crews and repair personnel (class context)
- Limitations
- Program-level official history - establishes class design, militarized vs. non-militarized fits, construction sites, and deployment pattern. Does not name ARDC-8; application to this hull runs through the SDB footnote-7 marker (military dock) and the footnote-1 blank-location convention (advance-base assignment). Makes no materials or asbestos statements.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-05
-
[6]U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA Establishment Search - Inspection Detail 1176882.015, North Florida Shipyards, Inc., 2060 East Adams Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202 (complaint inspection opened 2016-09-13, health scope, Jacksonville Area Office; case closed 2017-08-03) with Violation Detail citations 01002, 01003, 01004A/B, 01005, 01006A/B, 01007, 01008 under 29 CFR 1915.1001 (Asbestos, Shipyard Employment) [other_primary]
- Locator
- osha.gov establishment.inspection_detail?id=1176882.015 (violation list); establishment.violation_detail?citation_id=01002|01003|01004A|01005|01006A&id=1176882.015 (verbatim citation texts)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- OSHA enforcement record documents asbestos-containing material aboard the floating dry-dock at North Florida Shipyards - the facility's sole floating drydock, identified by chain of custody as the ex-Navy AFDL-41 (NVR disposal 06/01/1983; 'sold 1983 to North Florida Shipyard'; yard capability profile lists a single '2800 Ton Dry-dock' matching the ARDC rating). Eight Serious citations issued 2017-01-24 (informal settlement 2017-02-07; $42,372 initial / $21,186 current). Verbatim citation texts state: 'a) On or about August 27, 2016, in the area damaged during a collision at level A of the floating dry-dock, employees were instructed to conduct Class III asbestos work and the employer failed... employees started to remove a section of duct work covered with thermal system insulation (TSI) known to contain asbestos, exposing employees... to asbestos airborne concentrations that may have exceeded the permissible exposure limit (PEL).' Items charged: no regulated area (e)(1); no exposure assessment by a qualified person (f)(2)(i); wet methods not used (g)(9)(i); no adjacent decontamination area (j)(2)(i); ACM/PACM presence, location, and quantity not identified/communicated (k)(3)(i); plus (k)(6), (k)(9)(ii), (n)(6)(i) items. Nr Exposed: 6 employees.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- event 2016-08-27; inspection 2016-09-13 to 2017-08-03; citations issued 2017-01-24
- Population
- 6 North Florida Shipyards employees performing Class III asbestos work on the floating dry-dock (plus workers in adjacent areas, per citation 01002)
- Limitations
- The OSHA record does not use the designation 'AFDL-41' or 'ARDC-8' - hull identification rests on chain of custody: the facility operated a single floating drydock of matching lift capacity acquired the same year as the Navy's 1983 disposal; if the yard possessed any other floating drydock (none located in records searched), the attribution would fail. The record documents TSI on dock duct work only - it does not inventory remaining ACM, establish that the TSI dates to 1944 construction (versus later repair/equipment), quantify material, or establish individual exposure causation. 'Known to contain asbestos' is OSHA's characterization; whether TSI was sampled (ACM) or presumed (PACM) is not stated in the citation text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-06
-
[7]Consolidated class/design inference - BuShips SDB 1945 footnote-7 military-dock status for ARDC-8 (ev-01) + BuDocks official-history description of the militarized ARDC plant (ev-05), read against WWII naval-construction materials practice [other_primary]
- Locator
- SDB1945v3 footnote 7 (p. 611); BuDocks history ch. IX ARDC section (printed pp. 217-218)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- As a documented militarized (self-contained) dock, ARDC-8 carried the BuDocks-described plant: three diesel engines direct-connected to 200-kW AC generators, air compressors, refrigerating/heating/ventilating equipment, water evaporators, repair shops, and accommodations for 89 - machinery, refrigeration, HVAC, and accommodation spaces of the type whose insulation, exhaust lagging, gaskets, packing, refrigeration-plant insulation, and crane/winch brake linings were commonly asbestos-containing in 1944 naval construction. The duct-work TSI 'known to contain asbestos' documented aboard this dock in 2016 (ev-06) is consistent with this plant type.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944 construction era; plant described 1947
- Population
- Dock crew and repair personnel (inference); later commercial-yard drydock crews
- Limitations
- Era/design inference only - the BuDocks history describes the militarized fit generically and makes no materials statements; asbestos content of specific systems aboard this hull is unproven except for the OSHA-documented duct TSI (whose installation date is unknown - it may be original equipment, later repair, or later equipment). Does not establish quantity, present-day condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-07
-
[8]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 federal shipbuilding program under which this 1943-44 naval auxiliary dock was constructed - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization in Navy and contract construction.
- 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/service-craft crews (era context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this dock, its class, or its builder yard, and establishes nothing about this hull's materials beyond the era-level inference. Does not establish quantity, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-08
-
[9]Florida Times-Union (2022-10-16) and Jax Daily Record (2022-01-13, 2022-05-27) reporting on Fincantieri Marine Repair's takeover and rebuild of the Commodores Point shipyard; shipbuildinghistory.com floating-dock construction table (Tim Colton compilation); North Florida Shipyards federal-contract capability profile (HigherGov award record); NTSB marine-casualty docket for M/V ATLANTIC RAIDER (2016) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- jacksonville.com 2022-10-16 and 2022-05-27; jaxdailyrecord.com 2022-01-13 and 2022-05-27; shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/auxafd.htm AFDL-41 row; highergov.com awardee north-florida-shipyards-inc-10004259; data.ntsb.gov ATLANTIC RAIDER marine surveyor report (DLS Inc., 2016-12-12)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Post-Navy custody chain: shipbuildinghistory.com records 'Ex-ARDC 8, sold 1983 to North Florida Shipyard'; North Florida Shipyards, Inc. (founded 1978) operated the Commodores Point, Jacksonville ship-repair site with a single floating drydock (company capability profile: '2800 Ton Dry-dock'); the dock was operational in late 2016 (NTSB docket: the tug ATLANTIC RAIDER 'lay hauled out of the water and set on blocks at North Florida Shipyard' after its 2016-10-24 partial sinking). 2022 reporting documents that Fincantieri Marine Repair took over the 31-acre site lease in January 2022 and is installing a new 500-ft drydock lifting 13,000 tons 'compared to the 2,700-ton capacity in place now at the site.' NavSource: 'Final Disposition, fate unknown.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1983-2024
- Population
- North Florida Shipyards workforce; vessel crews drydocked there 1983-2022
- Limitations
- Establishes commercial custody and continuous drydock operation through ~2022 and the replacement context; the old dock's removal, scrapping, or relocation is not covered in public reporting - fate unverified. Times-Union's '2,700-ton' figure vs. the ARDC's nominal 2,800-ton rating is a capacity-basis/rounding difference noted, not resolved. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-09
-
[10]Correction - secondary compilations (e.g., Wikipedia 'Auxiliary floating drydock' and derivative summaries) vs. BuShips SDB 1945 footnote 7 and the BuDocks official history [other_primary]
- Locator
- Wikipedia 'Auxiliary floating drydock' ARDC section (lead only); SDB1945v3 footnote 7 markers in the ARDC rows (p. 607) + footnote text (p. 611); BuDocks history ch. IX (printed pp. 217-218)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Secondary compilations state that 'the first ARDC had a built-in diesel power supply, while the remainder relied on outside power sources' - i.e., only ARDC-1 was self-powered. The primary record contradicts this: the BuDocks official history documents SIX militarized docks with diesel-electric plants, and the SDB 1945 table's footnote-7 'military dock' marker appears on exactly six docks (ARDC-1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8) - ARDC-8 among them. ARDC-8 was a self-contained military dock, not a shore-dependent one.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-1947 records vs. present-day secondary text
- Limitations
- Corrects a secondary-source characterization using primary records; the Wikipedia claim is a misreading of the official history's six-vs-seven split. Not carried as an asbestos fact - relevant to the dock's equipment fit only.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-10
-
[11]Batch-598 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS; NavSource 09/28/7341; BuShips SDB 1945 v3; BuDocks history (HyperWar); NVR detail + QUICKFIND via Wayback; NARA RG 181 photo metadata; shipbuildinghistory.com; OSHA establishment records 1176882.015; MARAD ShipHistory API; CourtListener (blocked); indexed-web litigation checks; VA BVA index; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-01 through sl-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying litigation record located: indexed-web searches for 'AFDL-41', 'ARDC-8', and 'ARDC 8' with asbestos/lawsuit/mesothelioma terms return no docketed case naming this hull - only standard reference pages; 'North Florida Shipyard' + asbestos surfaces the OSHA record (ev-06) and law-firm marketing pages (mesowatch et al., an excluded source class). Registry/documentary negatives: no DANFS entry exists (NavSource states; NHHC paths 404); MARAD ShipHistory returns zero records for 'AFDL-41'/'ARDC' (hull passed Navy-to-private sale, never MARAD custody); no NVR stricken date; VA BVA index returns no decision naming the hull; no NARA deck-log or BuDocks file retrieved.
- 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 or of litigation - CourtListener API sweeps were HTTP 429 rate-limit blocked ('Request was throttled. Rate limit exceeded: 125/day', shared quota exhausted by prior batch work on this machine; backed off per batch instruction rather than retrying into a ban), so residual litigation coverage rests on indexed-web checking only; unindexed state-court and PACER-only filings were not searched. A 1943-44 militarized naval dock is era-consistent with asbestos-containing materials, and the OSHA-documented TSI (ev-06) independently corroborates ACM aboard the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-11
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - Navy deck logs), RG 71 (Bureau of Yards and Docks), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments - the series already holding the 1945 ARDC-8 photos); OSHA enforcement case file via FOIA; Navy/DRMS disposal file for the 1983 sale [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/024.html ; /groups/071.html ; /groups/019.html ; /groups/181.html ; OSHA FOIA (foia.gov/osha)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - requires research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for USS ARDC-8 / USS AFDL-41 (a commissioned unit with a documented acting CO in 1950) - the most promising source for the undocumented 1945-1983 station history; RG 71 BuDocks construction/design files for the ARDC program and the Wilmington, N.C. dry basin (Tidewater Construction contract records); RG 19 BuShips design records; additional RG 181 Eleventh Naval District photographs in the 295535/295540 file series; the OSHA inspection case file 1176882.015 via FOIA (citation backup could identify the colliding vessel and whether the TSI was sampled ACM or presumed PACM); and the Navy/DRMS disposal file for the 1983 sale to North Florida Shipyard (buyer terms, any hazmat disclosure, and subsequent-title tracing).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1943-2022 records
- Limitations
- Record-group mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdl-41-afdl41-12
