USS AFDL-8

Evidence

16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).

1. [1]Naval Vessel Register, Ship Details page for 'NO NAME (AFDL 8)', NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office (live nvr.navy.mil quickfind retrieval by hull number); corroborated by the 2016-09-27 Wayback capture of the NVR inactive-vessels list [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR Ship Details 'NO NAME (AFDL 8)' - vessel status, milestone dates, custodian blocks (quickfind 'AFDL-8' with hyphen returns an empty table; the spaced form 'AFDL 8' resolves the record); Wayback https://web.archive.org/web/20160927035925/http:/www.nvr.navy.mil/QUICKFIND/SHIPSDETAIL_INACTIVE_N.HTML

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Vessel Register record (live quickfind retrieval): 'Ship Details - NO NAME (AFDL 8) (ex - AFD 8), SMALL AUXILIARY FLOATING DRY DOCK (N-S-P)', class field 'AFDL 1', UIC 14808, builder 'Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.', status 'disposed of by transfer to other government agencies, states. schools, sea scouts, etc.', date status changed 03/01/1982, custodian category 'SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE ENTERPRISES'. Commission, keel, launch, delivery, in-service, out-of-service, decommission, and stricken milestone fields all blank; physical characteristics suppressed by the register ('currently unavailable as we update our public information policies'); page last updated 09/08/2000. The 2016 Wayback capture of the NVR inactive-hulls list independently carries 'NO NAME | AFDL 8 | 03/01/1982 | Disposed of by transfer to other Government Agencies, States. Schools, Sea Scouts, etc.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   registry record; status change 1982-03-01; page updated 2000-09-08

   Limitations

   Authoritative U.S. Navy registry record retrieved live 2026-09-20. Establishes identity (including 'ex - AFD 8' consolidating the earlier designation), builder corporate name, UIC, disposal method (transfer to government agencies - the category used for reef-program donations), and the 1982-03-01 disposal date. Contains no asbestos, materials, or environmental information; all milestone-date fields blank, so commissioning/striking/service dates rest on NavSource and other secondaries; the register's suppressed characteristics block means dimensions/capacity rest on the Ships' Data tabulation. The NVR does not name the transferee (a state/county reef program is the likely recipient, not stated).

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-01

2. [2]NavSource Naval History, Service Ship Photo Archive, 'AFDL-8 ex USS AFD-8' page (09/28/2853.htm, last updated 4 April 2014) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Page header chronology block; awards block; specifications block; image table ('no images' note); 'no DANFS history' note

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page 'AFDL-8, ex USS AFD-8 (1944 - 1946)' (09/28/2853.htm - a substitute index number because 2808 is occupied by Richland AFDM-8) supplies the only located chronology: 'Laid down, date unknown, at Morgan City, LA. by Chicago Bridge and Iron; Delivered and commissioned USS AFD-8 in January 1944; Decommissioned and placed in service, date unknown; Redesignated AFDL-8, 1 August 1946; Placed out of service, date unknown; Struck from the Naval Register, date unknown; Final Disposition, sunk as a reef in 1981.' Awards block: American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal only. Specifications block: displacement 800 t., length 200', beam 64', inside width 45', draft 3' 3" (lt) / 31' 4" (flooded), lifting capacity 1,900 tons. 'There are no images of USS AFD-8 / AFDL-8 available at NavSource' and 'There is no DANFS history available for USS AFD-8 / AFDL-8 at NavSource.'

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1982

   Population

   Dock operating crew, Naval Repair Base San Diego (wartime, per ev-03); awards cohort (American Campaign Medal + WWII Victory Medal)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation and the only chronology located for this hull - there is no DANFS entry and no Wikipedia article to corroborate. Its spec block mixes type figures: 200-ft length matches the standard AFD documented in the official April 1945 tabulation, but the '1,900 tons' lifting capacity is the lengthened-AFDL figure - Ships' Data tabulates AFD8 at 1,000 tons (see correction row ev-06). 'Sunk as a reef in 1981' predates the NVR disposal-status change (1982-03-01) and the official FWC reef deployment (1982-06-22) - reconciled in ev-08. 'Commissioned' language rests on this one secondary source against the service-craft convention (NVR commission field blank). No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-02

3. [3]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Volume III (NAVSHIPS 250-012, dated April 15, 1945), Floating Dry Dock Characteristics table, p. 607 - AFD8 row (Google Books scan mirrored at shipscribe.com); footnote 7 text and the AFD8-21 vessel-list run from the same volume [other_primary]

   Locator

   p. 607, 'Nav Repbase, San Diego, Calif.' location-group rows incl. AFD8, read directly from the rendered page scan (PDF p. 626); footnote 7 'Military docks' at end of table (p. 611); vessel-list 'AFD8-21' run

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official Navy tabulation lists this dock in its wartime registry form: 'AFD8' appears in the Floating Dry Dock Characteristics table grouped at 'Nav Repbase, San Diego, Calif.' (with AFD6, AFD9, AFD10, AFD11, AFD12-16, AFD17, AFD18 on p. 607 and AFD19-AFD21 and AFD24-AFD30 continuing on p. 608 under the same San Diego repair-base group; AFD5 belongs to the preceding location group above the San Diego label, and AFD31 heads the separate 'USCG, Curtis Bay, Md.' group on p. 608), every row carrying footnote marker 7 ('Military docks. All other docks are non-military.'), type '1-piece, steel', nominal lifted capacity 1,000 tons, suitable for docking 'YN, AM' (net tenders and minesweepers), length overall 200 ft, length on pontoon 200 ft, length on blocks 185 ft, width overall molded 64 ft, width clear inside 45 ft, draft over blocks 14 ft 6 in, maximum draft submerged 27 ft, draft light 3 ft 5 in, construction start 1943 / finish 1944. Read directly from the rendered page scan this session. The same volume's list of naval vessels places AFD8 inside the standard-dock run 'AFD8-21' - not among the lengthened AFDL7/22/23/32/33 hulls.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945 (tabulation dated April 15, 1945)

   Population

   Dock operating crew and ships' companies of docked net tenders/minesweepers, Naval Repair Base San Diego

   Limitations

   Official contemporaneous tabulation read directly from the scan - establishes the dock's wartime designation (AFD8, a standard 200-ft/1,000-ton military dock), its April-1945 station (Naval Repair Base, San Diego), and its rated craft (YN net tenders, AM minesweepers). This is the controlling source against NavSource's 1,900-ton spec-block figure and against any lengthened-dock characterization of this hull. It does not document where the dock was before April 1945 or after the table's date; postwar movement is undocumented. No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-03

4. [4]shipbuildinghistory.com, 'Floating Docks (AFDB, AFDM, AFDL, ARD, ARDM, YFD)' table (auxafd.htm, updated 2019-06-11) and 'Chicago Bridge & Iron' yard table (shipyards/emergencylarge/chicagobridge.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   auxafd.htm AFDL section, AFDL-8 row ('AFDL 8 | Chicago Bridge | Morgan City LA | 800 | 200 | Jan-44 | Sunk as a reef 1981'); chicagobridge.htm AFD delivery block, 'AFD 8/AFDL 8 ... 4/44 ... Reefed 1981' row

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton compilation) carries this hull twice: the Navy floating-dock table lists 'AFDL 8 | (no name) | Chicago Bridge | Morgan City LA | 800 | 200 | Jan-44 | Sunk as a reef 1981', and the Chicago Bridge & Iron yard table lists 'AFD 8/AFDL 8 | U.S. Navy | Floating Dock, Light | delivered 4/44 | Reefed 1981' - confirming builder (Chicago Bridge & Iron), type, Morgan City yard attribution, and reefing disposition, while its two tables disagree on delivery month (Jan-44 vs 4/44).

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1943-1982

   Population

   CB&I construction workforce (Morgan City, 1943-44)

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation, used only where consistent with official sources - its Morgan City attribution agrees with NavSource here (both secondaries concur; no DANFS exists to adjudicate, and the same table's Morgan City attribution for sister AFDL-2 was overturned by dated NARA construction photographs - the uncertainty is flagged, not resolved). The Jan-44 vs 4/44 delivery-month disagreement between its own tables is noted. Its '800' figure is displacement tonnage, not lifting capacity (the official table gives 1,000-ton lift). No asbestos information.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-04

5. [5]Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II' (U.S. Navy, 1947), Chapter IX, Floating Drydocks (HyperWar/ibiblio transcription) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Chapter IX, 'Types of Floating Drydocks' glossary - 'AFD -- Auxiliary Floating Dock' definition and ARD-1 design paragraph (diesel-electric power plant, repair shops, crew's accommodations); the 1946 reclassification paragraph ('the AFD's became AFDL's')

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The official Bureau of Yards and Docks history defines this hull's type and the 1946 redesignation that produced 'AFDL-8': AFDs were 'Mobile, military, steel trough type, unit dock[s], with faired bow and stern, of 1,000 tons lifting capacity' - the ARD-1 design lineage equipped 'with its own diesel-electric power plant, pumping plant, repair shops, and crew's accommodations.' Under the 1946 nomenclature revision 'the AFD's became AFDL's' (Auxiliary Floating Drydock Little, less than 10,000 tons) - matching NavSource's redesignation date of 1946-08-01 for this hull.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1941-1946

   Population

   Construction trades at the contractor plants; dock crews (type context)

   Limitations

   Class/design history, not a hull record - the BuDocks history does not name this dock; its application is via the Ships' Data tabulation listing AFD8 as a standard AFD (ev-03) and the documented 1946 blanket reclassification. The wartime 'AFDL' (Lengthened) type does not apply to this hull - she is a standard AFD that became 'AFDL' only through the 1946 'Little' reclassification. No asbestos information in the source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-05

6. [6]Ships' Data, U.S. Naval Vessels, 1945, Vol. III p. 607 (1,000-ton AFD8 row) and BuDocks Ch. IX (1,000-ton AFD definition), contrasted with NavSource 2853.htm spec block ('1,900 tons'), FWC reef deployment BO0009 (1982-06-22, '200' Drydock'), NVR disposal date (1982-03-01), and divers-hub.com SiteDetails/189 (288 ft claim) [other_primary]

   Locator

   Ships' Data p. 607 AFD8 row; NavSource 2853.htm specifications block; FWC ArcGIS artificial-reef layer BO0009 attributes; divers-hub wreck-details block

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Correction of three propagating secondary-source discrepancies on this hull. (a) Lifting capacity: NavSource's spec block gives '1,900 tons' - the lengthened-AFDL figure - on a hull it simultaneously lists at 200 ft length; the official April 1945 Ships' Data table gives AFD8 at 1,000 tons / 200 ft as a standard AFD, and BuDocks defines the standard AFD at 1,000 tons. The 1,900-ton figure is rejected. (b) Reefing year: NavSource and shipbuildinghistory say 'sunk as a reef in 1981'/'Reefed 1981', while the NVR records the disposal transfer on 1982-03-01 and the official Florida FWC reef database records the Broward 'Site D - Tracor/Navy Drydock' deployment on 1982-06-22 - the sinking event postdates the secondaries' year; 1981 likely reflects an out-of-service or pre-disposal date. (c) Dive-site dimension: divers-hub describes the reefed 'Tracor/Navy Drydock' as 288 ft x 64 ft / 1,200 t (lengthened-AFDL dimensions), conflicting with the official FWC description '200' Drydock' and this hull's documented 200-ft length - treated as dive-site error, possibly copied from lengthened-dock specs.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1982; secondary-source era ongoing

   Limitations

   Corrects secondary-source conflicts against official records - does not itself assert new facts. The lengthened-dock figures (1,900-ton lift / 288 ft) belong to the five wartime-modified docks, not this standard AFD. The 1981-vs-1982 reefing-year gap is reconciled by treating the official deployment and disposal dates as the event dates and '1981' as an approximate or pre-disposal year; it cannot be fully resolved without the county permit file or the Navy transfer instrument. Asbestos content is unaffected either way.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-06

7. [7]Library of Congress, Veterans History Project, Jack H. Myers Collection, AFC/2001/001/58517 (oral-history interview record) [other_primary]

   Locator

   LOC item record service_history block (branch Navy; dates 1945-1946; highest rank Motor Machinist's Mate Third Class; unit_of_service 'USS AFD-8 (Mobile Floating Drydock); USS Diphda (AKA 59)'; locations Sampson NY/Philippines/Hawaii/Pacific Theater) - retrieved via the loc.gov JSON API after the HTML page returned 403

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Library of Congress Veterans History Project record establishes a documented crewman aboard this hull: Jack H. Myers Collection (AFC/2001/001/58517), U.S. Navy enlisted, Motor Machinist's Mate Third Class, dates of service 1945-1946, unit of service 'USS AFD-8 (Mobile Floating Drydock); USS Diphda (AKA 59)', locations of service 'Sampson, New York; Philippines; Hawaii; Pacific Theater' - an oral-history interview collected 2008-01-31 (University of Toledo). The record confirms the dock was a manned Navy unit in 1945-46 with an engineering-rate crewman.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1945-1946

   Population

   AFD-8 enlisted engineering crew (motor machinist's mate billet), 1945-1946

   Limitations

   Personnel documentation, not a station record for this hull - the veteran's listed locations span his full enlistment across two units (AFD-8 and USS Diphda AKA-59), so the Philippines/Hawaii/Pacific entries cannot be allocated to the dock; his AFD-8 assignment within 1945-46 is what the record establishes. The collection record is a service-history index entry, not the interview audio; no asbestos or working-conditions content is present. A motor-machinist billet aboard is consistent with the type's diesel-electric machinery plant.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-07

8. [8]Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Artificial Reef Locations in Florida GIS layer / deployment list (DeployID BO0009, §379.249 program); floridagofishing.com Broward County reef list (BR-45); divers-hub.com site record 189 [other_primary]

   Locator

   FWC ArcGIS Open_Data layer 12 query (BO0009 attributes: DDate 19820622, 'Site D - Tracor/Navy Drydock', Broward, '200' Drydock & Hull Molds & Small Vessels', depth 210 ft, 26.112745/-80.070547); FWC deployment PDF 'ardeployments.pdf' row '06/22/1982 Site D - Tracor/Navy Drydock / Drydock 200''; floridagofishing.com Broward list rows BR-44/BR-45; divers-hub.com/SiteDetails/189 wreck history

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Disposal-path convergence, official and secondary: the NVR records this hull 'disposed of by transfer to other government agencies, states. schools, sea scouts, etc.' effective 1982-03-01 (ev-01); NavSource and shipbuildinghistory give 'sunk as a reef in 1981'/'Reefed 1981'; the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's official artificial-reef database (§379.249 F.S. deployment reporting) records DeployID BO0009 'Site D - Tracor/Navy Drydock', Broward County, deployed 1982-06-22, primary material '200' Drydock & Hull Molds & Small Vessels' / 'Drydock 200'', depth 210 ft, position 26.112745 N / -80.070547 W; a dive-industry aggregator's Broward reef list names 'BR-45 AFDL-8 - Former Navy Floating Dry Dock'; and a dive-site wiki describes the 'Tracor / Navy Drydock' wreck as 'originally built in 1944 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company for the US Navy' which 'found its way to Tracor Marine, Incorporated' and 'on June 22, 1982, ... was intentionally scuttled in 225 feet of water off Port Everglades.' The FWC statewide database contains exactly one Broward County drydock deployment.

   Verification

   partial

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1981-1982 (disposal and deployment)

   Population

   Reef-prep and scuttling crews (1982); contemporary technical divers

   Limitations

   The FWC deployment record is official but does NOT name the hull 'AFDL-8' - the identity link rests on (a) the dive-aggregator's explicit 'AFDL-8' naming, (b) dimensional agreement (FWC's 200-ft drydock matches this standard AFD; divers-hub's 288-ft figure conflicts and is treated as error per ev-06), (c) the 1944 CB&I build attribution in the dive-site history matching this hull's builder/year, and (d) uniqueness - FWC lists only one Broward Navy-drydock deployment. The aggregator lists 'BR-44 Tracor Navy Drydock Site D' and 'BR-45 AFDL-8' as separate rows; whether those are two names for the same reef is unresolved in located sources. Tracor Marine's Port Everglades yard ran 'two recently installed floating drydocks' per Maritime Reporter (Sept 1981) - how the Navy dock reached Tracor's custody before reefing is undocumented. A reef-sunk hull received no hazmat survey disclosure in located records; pre-1980s reefings predated modern asbestos-remediation requirements for artificial reefs.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-08

9. [9]National Archives and Records Administration, Special List 44 by Ship Numbers (RG 24, Bureau of Naval Personnel deck logs) [other_primary]

   Locator

   sl-44-ship-number.pdf, AFD block (entries run AFD-15 through AFD-30 plus AFDL-21/-29/-32; no AFD-8/AFDL-8 entries) - verified by direct text extraction this session

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   NARA Special List 44 (List of Logbooks of U.S. Ships, Stations, and Miscellaneous Units, 1801-1947) contains no deck-log entries for AFD-8 or AFDL-8: the by-number list's AFD block begins at AFD-15 and runs through AFD-30, with AFDL-21, AFDL-29, and AFDL-32 the only AFDL entries. Sister docks such as AFD-25 do have listed logs, so the absence is specific to this hull - consistent with station-administered logging at the Naval Repair Base San Diego.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   negative_finding

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-20

   Study period

   1944-1947 coverage

   Limitations

   SL-44 covers 1801-1947 only, so post-1947 logs would not appear here regardless; the absence means no hull-level wartime log series was indexed for this dock. Naval Repair Base San Diego station records (RG 181 and successor RGs, unsearched) remain the plausible holdings. Absence from the list is a record-availability finding, not proof no logs were kept - and no asbestos content would be implied by any logbook in any case.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-09

10. [10]National Archives and Records Administration, Ship Plan Index (archives.gov/research/cartographic/ship-index) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Ship Plan Index AFDL-8 row: 'AFDL-8 | AFDL-8 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026' (catalog.archives.gov/id/63531026)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    NARA Cartographic Ship Plan Index holds a plan for AFDL-8: entry 'AFDL-8 | AFDL-8 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026' (RG 385, Naval Facilities Engineering Command records) - the same microfilm NAID cited for sister docks across the AFDL run (AFDL-1 through AFDL-42 and AFDL-47 appear on the reel), a shared reel of AFDL-type plans and a potential machinery-layout/materials source.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1943-44 design era records

    Limitations

    Record-holding mapping only - the microfilm was not retrieved or read (no reproduction spend authorized). Whether the plan set contains insulation or materials schedules is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-10

11. [11]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-8-afdl8-12) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Chapter IX, AFD/ARD-1 design description (diesel-electric power plant, pumping plant, repair shops, crew's accommodations)

    Finding type

    asbestos_application

    Finding

    Class/era inference only: the standard AFD design carried a diesel-electric power plant, ballast/pumping machinery, repair shops, and crew accommodations within a welded-steel trough dock built in 1943-44 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 documented mission - docking net tenders and minesweepers at the Naval Repair Base, San Diego (April 1945 tabulation) - placed her crew in sustained contact with era vessels whose own hull-insulation suites commonly contained asbestos, and docking/repair work itself (scaling, welding, refit alongside hulls) is a recognized disturbance pathway.

    Verification

    inferred

    Role

    supporting

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1943-44 construction era; service through ~1981

    Population

    Construction trades (CB&I Morgan City yard, 1943-44); dock crew at Naval Repair Base San Diego (1944-45); crews of vessels under repair

    Limitations

    Design-level inference, not a hull record - the BuDocks history does not mention asbestos and does not name this dock. Asbestos presence aboard AFDL-8 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, presence aboard the hull, individual exposure, or causation.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-11

12. [12]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-8-afdl8-12

13. [13]Batch-606 search ledger (this record): CourtListener API v4 '"AFDL-8"' type=o query (count 0); '"AFD-8"' query (HTTP 429); courtlistener.com web search (HTTP 403); web-indexed court-document sweeps (site:courtlistener.com, RECAP storage, asbestos/mesothelioma terms) [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-10 through sl-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-12

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Litigation and name-collision sweep: a live CourtListener API v4 opinion query for '"AFDL-8"' returned 0 results (verified this session); the follow-on '"AFD-8"' API query was throttled (HTTP 429, shared 125/day quota, ~14h reset) and deferred per the backoff rule, and the CourtListener web surface returned 403 to automated fetch; web-indexed court-record sweeps returned no opinion or docket naming this dock - 'AFD-8'/'AFDL-8' collides with non-vessel strings (exhibit/part numbering, AFD abbreviations) and the unnamed hull has no name-collision exposure beyond the designation strings. Any future hit requires hull resolution before classification.

    Verification

    partial

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    2026-09-20

    Limitations

    Sweep partially blocked - the live API returned an authoritative zero for 'AFDL-8' but the shared daily quota was exhausted before the 'AFD-8' query ran, and the web surface refused automated fetch; the web-indexed sweep is a weaker instrument. Absence of a located pleading is not proof no claim ever existed. No asbestos opinion naming this dock was found by any instrument used.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-13

14. [14]Keller v. Dravo Corp., 441 F.2d 1239 (5th Cir. 1971), cert. denied 404 U.S. 1017, 92 S.Ct. 679, 30 L.Ed.2d 665 (1972) [court_record]

    Locator

    Opinion at 441 F.2d 1243-44 (vessel-status holding); reporter citation cross-verified via multiple case-law databases (fresh CourtListener pull blocked this session - see search_ledger); carried under the established batch-583/588/605 convention for floating-drydock records

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    Litigation-posture context for the vessel type (not this hull, not asbestos): Fifth Circuit doctrine holds that 'as a matter of law, a floating dry dock is not a vessel when it is moored and in use as a dry dock' - Keller v. Dravo Corp., 441 F.2d 1239, 1244 (5th Cir. 1971), cert. denied 404 U.S. 1017 (1972), following Atkins v. Greenville Shipping Corp., 411 F.2d 279 (5th Cir. 1969) and Chahoc v. Hunt Shipyard, 431 F.2d 576 (5th Cir. 1970). Workers injured on moored floating drydocks were accordingly confined to Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act remedies rather than vessel-owner negligence/unseaworthiness theories.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    context

    Documentation level

    class_or_era

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1969-1972 (doctrine); applies to moored-dock operations

    Population

    Floating-drydock workers generally (type context)

    Limitations

    Doctrinal context for the vessel type only - an LHWCA/admiralty vessel-status ruling, not asbestos litigation, not naming this hull, and not an exposure finding. Relevant to how injury claims by drydock crews were channeled; the Keller court expressly declined an absolute rule that a floating drydock can never be a vessel. Citation verified against reporter text reproduced in case-law databases; a direct CourtListener pull remains an open lead.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-14

15. [15]Batch-606 search ledger (this record): NVR quickfind; NavSource 09/28/2853.htm; shipbuildinghistory auxafd/chicagobridge tables; Ships' Data 1945 Vol. III pp. 607-608, 611; NARA SL-44 and Ship Plan Index; BuDocks Ch. IX; FWC artificial-reef database; LOC Veterans History Project; CourtListener API + web-indexed litigation sweeps [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-01 through sl-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-16

    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-8/AFDL-8 was found in the public sources searched - the live NVR record, the NavSource page, the Ships' Data 1945 tabulation, the shipbuildinghistory tables, the NARA indexes, the BuDocks type history, the FWC reef record, and the dive-site history contain no asbestos or insulation-material statement.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    2026-09-20

    Limitations

    Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44 self-contained Navy dock with diesel-electric machinery and repair shops is era-consistent with retained asbestos-containing materials. Because she was sunk as a reef in 1982 there is no disposal-era hazmat survey or museum disclosure to consult; Florida's reef-deployment record (material 'Drydock 200'') contains no environmental assessment in the public field set. 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-8-afdl8-15

16. [16]NARA Ship Plan Index entry 'AFDL-8 | 385 | Microfilm | 63531026'; NARA RG 24/RG 181 logbook scope per Special List 44 absence; Fla. Stat. §379.249 material-placement-report requirement noted on the FWC artificial-reef program page; NVR custodian/disposal fields (ev-01) [other_primary]

    Locator

    Ship Plan Index AFDL-8 line; sl-44 index absence for AFD-8/AFDL-8; FWC program description ('the permittee must submit a material placement report form for each date of deployment'); NVR custodian block

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved): (a) NARA cartographic Ship Plan Index holds an AFDL-8 plan on microfilm, NAID 63531026 (RG 385) - a potential materials/machinery-layout source; (b) Naval Repair Base San Diego station records (RG 181 and successor RGs) may hold the dock's operational records given the absence of hull-level logs in Special List 44; (c) the Broward County / FWC artificial-reef permit file required by §379.249 F.S. (material placement report for the 1982-06-22 deployment) may name the hull and the transfer chain; (d) the 1982 Navy transfer instrument (custodian category 'schools, organizations and private enterprises') would identify the recipient and any hazmat terms; (e) Tracor Marine, Inc. (Port Everglades) corporate records would document the yard's possession of the dock before reefing; (f) the BuShips/BuDocks contract file for the CB&I AFD order would settle the Morgan City build attribution definitively.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-20

    Study period

    1943-1982 records

    Limitations

    Record-holding mapping only - no document-level retrieval performed (no reproduction spend authorized; none of these holdings are digitized in the located indexes except the FWC deployment record itself). Whether any contains asbestos-specific information for this dock is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-afdl-8-afdl8-16