Evidence
12 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-12).
-
[1]Department of the Navy, Bureau of Yards and Docks, 'Building the Navy's Bases in World War II: History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps 1940-1946,' Chapter IX (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1947; HyperWar/ibiblio transcription of the NHHC-held text) [other_primary]
- Locator
- bases-9.html, Chapter IX, 'Three-piece steel docks' / 'Yard Floating Dock' section - the YFD-3/YFD-6 Balboa-transfer passage
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Bureau of Yards and Docks official WWII history (Chapter IX, 'Floating Drydocks') names this hull in the record of its Panama Canal transfer: 'One of the most interesting operations in connection with these docks was the transfer of two docks, the YFD-3 and the YFD-6, from the Atlantic to Balboa, on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal. This transfer was necessary to increase docking facilities on the Pacific side of the Canal, and to make it unnecessary for tankers to transit the canal for repairs.' Because the center section was wider than the locks' clear width, 'a scheme was developed for towing these sections through the canal on their beam ends. One thousand Navy pontoons were installed on one wing wall; the latter, reinforced with struts; and the dock section, rotated 90 degrees by a carefully precalculated progressive flooding and pumping operation. After transit, the sections were righted and the docks reassembled.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- YFD-3 crew and towing/SeaBee modification crews, 1945
- Limitations
- Official program-level history naming this hull - establishes the wartime Galveston-to-Balboa transfer and the careening transit method, but gives no dates for the transfer and no materials or asbestos content. The passage describes both YFD-3 and YFD-6 without separating them; the NHHC photo documentation of the careened transit (NH 98828/98829, released 25 June 1945) depicts YFD-6 specifically - whether YFD-3's transit was simultaneous or sequential is not stated here (see ev-02 for the tow-delivery dates).
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-01
-
[2]DANFS, Chimariko (ATF-154), NHHC ship-history page (Wayback capture 2024-05-26; live NHHC page returned 404 on 2026-09-20) [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- DANFS Chimariko entry, 1945 service narrative (verbatim transcription verified)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official DANFS entry for fleet tug USS Chimariko (ATF-154) documents the dock's Atlantic-leg tow: 'Departing Norfolk, Va., 5 June 1945 Chimariko reached Galveston, Tex., 11 June, and towed the disabled tanker SS C. A. Canfield from Sabine Pass (12-16 June). From 16 June until 1 July she towed YFD-3 to Cristobal, C.Z.' - establishing that YFD-3 was at Galveston (consistent with the Todd Galveston lease) and was delivered to the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal on 1 July 1945, bracketing the careened transit described in the BuDocks history.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-06 - 1945-07
- Population
- YFD-3 crew and USS Chimariko crew, June-July 1945
- Limitations
- Documents the Galveston-to-Cristobal tow only - the canal transit itself and the dock's Balboa service period are not described here. No materials or asbestos content. Live NHHC URL 404s; Wayback capture of the official page cited.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-02
-
[3]shipbuildinghistory.com (Tim Colton), 'Floating Docks (AFDB, AFDM, AFDL, ARD, ARDM, YFD)' table, updated June 2019 - rows 'YFD 3' and 'AFDM 1' [other_primary]
- Locator
- auxafd.htm - YFD table row 'YFD 3' and AFDM table row 'AFDM 1' (identical record mirrored at navalmarinearchive.com/sbh/smallships/auxafd.html and shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net/us-navy-small/auxafd/)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- shipbuildinghistory.com floating-docks construction table: (a) YFD table - 'YFD 3: Chicago Bridge, Morgan City LA, 6,800 tons, 616 ft, delivery Jul-42; To Todd Galveston 1942, AFDM 1 1946, scrapped 1986.' (b) AFDM table - 'AFDM 1: Chicago Bridge, Morgan City LA, 6,800, 616 ft, Jul-42; See YFD 3' - establishing builder (Chicago Bridge & Iron, Morgan City LA), delivery July 1942, the 1942 lease to Todd Galveston, the 1946 redesignation to AFDM-1, and 1986 scrapping.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1986
- Limitations
- Independent compilation from yard and registry records - secondary in character, but corroborated on the 1942 Galveston stationing by the DANFS Chimariko tow record (the dock departed Galveston June 1945) and on the 1945 Balboa transfer by the BuDocks official history. The site disclaims completeness for the floating-dock sector. 'AFDM 1 1946' is consistent with the BuDocks-documented 1946 YFD-to-AFDM redesignation scheme. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-03
-
[4]National Archives and Records Administration - Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations (series NAID 594258, RG 24 Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel), file units for YFD-3, May-June 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA Catalog series 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' (594258); YFD-3 file units per batch brief - catalog.archives.gov API v2 requires an API key not held this session; file-unit NAIDs not retrieved
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- NARA holds Navy deck logs for YFD-3 covering May-June 1945 (per batch brief) - the window bracketing the dock's departure from Galveston (16 June) and arrival at Cristobal (1 July). Deck logs are kept only by craft in commission/in service, so their existence supports wartime commissioned status for this hull during the transit operation; the log dates are coverage dates, NOT a commissioning date.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-05 - 1945-06
- Population
- YFD-3 crew, May-June 1945
- Limitations
- File units not retrieved or read - their existence and May-June 1945 coverage come from the batch brief's NARA record, not from this session's verification. The logs' coverage brackets the Galveston departure but the canal transit itself likely fell in early July 1945 (Chimariko delivered the dock at Cristobal 1 July) - whether the logs extend into the transit is unverified. No asbestos information expected or found.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-04
-
[5]Amerace Esna Corp. v. United States, 199 Ct. Cl. 175, 462 F.2d 1377 (1972) (CourtListener opinion 8615611) [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, findings section - the 'relevant years' ships/dry-docks list '(c) AFDM-1,2,3,7,8,9 and 10' (text verified via CourtListener API v4 search snippet; HTML opinion page returned HTTP 202 to automated fetch)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Court of Claims patent-royalty opinion names this hull in its findings: under the heading 'the relevant years' the court lists the ships and dry docks on which the Government used the patented Eureka two-part flotation compound for preserving ballast tanks - '(a) LSM-419 (b) AH-15 (c) AFDM-1,2,3,7,8,9 and 10 (d) AFDL-1,3,8,9,15,16,19,29,30.' The patent (Smith, U.S. 2,603,226) covered a process for preserving and removing rust, scale, and marine growth from ballast tanks of marine dry docks and ships; Bureau of Ships interest dated from about December 1951. AFDM-1's inclusion documents that this hull remained in Navy service and underwent ballast-tank corrosion-control treatment during the postwar period covered by the litigation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1951-c.1970 (litigation's relevant years); opinion 1972
- Population
- Navy/contractor ballast-tank treatment crews aboard AFDM-1 (1950s-60s era)
- Limitations
- OTHER LITIGATION - patent-compensation proceeding under 28 U.S.C. 1498, not asbestos or personal-injury litigation. The finding establishes Navy use of a corrosion-prevention process inside this dock's ballast tanks in the postwar period (maintenance work performed in confined tank spaces) - it is ship-specific and adjudicated, but contains no asbestos, materials-condition, or exposure content and does not establish or defeat any asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-05
-
[6]Panama Canal Museum Collection, University of Florida Smathers Libraries - 'Object of the Day' entry, 'U. S. N. Floating Dry Dock AFDM-1, Miraflores Locks' (posted 11 August 2013; image is a collection postcard, undated) [museum_official]
- Locator
- pcmc.domains.uflib.ufl.edu object-of-the-day page + image ufpcmcollection.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/usn-floating-dry-dock.jpg
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Panama Canal Museum Collection (University of Florida Smathers Libraries) holds a postcard photograph captioned 'U.S.N. Floating Dry Dock AFDM-1, Miraflores Locks' - documentary evidence of this dock in the Pacific-end canal locks. Because the 'AFDM-1' designation dates only from the August 1946 redesignation, the caption identifies a post-war transit - consistent with the FY1949 Governor of the Panama Canal report's description of AFDM-3/AFDM-7 preparing to transit 'similarly to AFDM-1' (ev-07), i.e., AFDM-1's return passage toward the Atlantic. The museum notes it has 'no other information about this postcard than the text at the top and bottom of the image.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1946-c.1949 (inferred window)
- Population
- AFDM-1 crew and canal transit crews, post-1946
- Limitations
- Museum-cataloged artifact naming the hull at Miraflores Locks - the postcard itself is undated; a commenter recalled seeing the image dated August 1950, unverified. Caption dating proves only a post-August-1946 transit (or a later-printed postcard of an earlier photo - the caption designation could have been applied post hoc). The direction of travel (eastbound return vs. westbound) is not stated. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-06
-
[7]Annual Report of the Governor of the Panama Canal for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1949 (U.S. Government Printing Office, 1949), p. 30 - cited via the Wikipedia AFDM-3 article bibliography; page text not rendered this session [other_primary]
- Locator
- Google Books nzIiypWUX-UC p. PA30 - bibliographic record confirmed; page text did not render in fetch (same outcome as batch-121 session)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Archival lead: the Annual Report of the Governor of the Panama Canal for FY ended 30 June 1949 (USGPO 1949), p. 30, reportedly records that in latter 1948 AFDM-3 and AFDM-7 (Sustain) arrived at the Balboa yard to be prepared for a Panama Canal transit 'similarly to AFDM-1' - i.e., the Canal Zone authorities had already executed the same careened-transit preparation on this dock, making AFDM-1 the documented precedent for the post-war Pacific-to-Atlantic return passage.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- c.1946-1948
- Limitations
- Page text not rendered in this session - carried as a pointer, not a verified claim. If accurate, it confirms AFDM-1 transited the canal (in the return direction) before late 1948, which together with the Miraflores postcard (ev-06) establishes a second, post-war transit. Does not date that transit precisely. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-07
-
[8]U.S. Naval Institute, Proceedings, May 1987 issue - 'Ships' Status Changes' column, 'Ex-YFD-3' disposal entry [reputable_press]
- Locator
- usni.org Proceedings May 1987 Ships' Status Changes - page returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch; entry text verified via search-engine snippet only
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Disposal corroboration: USNI Proceedings, 'Ships' Status Changes' (May 1987, Vol. 113/5/1,011) lists 'Ex-YFD-3, to be disposed [of by] Navy sale' - a disposal-era listing under the dock's original YFD designation, consistent with shipbuildinghistory's 'scrapped 1986.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1986-1987
- Limitations
- Snippet-level verification only - the live page blocks automated access and the full listing was not read. The use of 'Ex-YFD-3' rather than 'Ex-AFDM-1' in the 1986-87 disposal listing suggests the sale record carried the original designation (or Proceedings abbreviated it); consistent with, not independent proof of, the 1986 scrapping. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-08
-
[9]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
- Am J Ind Med 11(3):359-373 (1987), DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700110311
- 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 in which this hull was built (1942, Chicago Bridge & Iron, Morgan City LA) and throughout the period it was operated at commercial ship-repair yards and Navy stations. The study addresses asbestos exposure among shipyard production and repair trades - the population that built this dock and worked on and around it over four-plus decades.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII-era shipyard workers and ship-repair trades (class context)
- Limitations
- Era/program-level scholarship; does not name this hull and does not establish that any material aboard it contained asbestos. A floating drydock lacks the steam plant that drives most shipboard asbestos inference - the inference here is weaker than for propelled vessels and remains era-level, not ship-proven.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-09
-
[10]Type/construction-era inference: non-self-propelled steel three-section floating drydock (1942, Chicago Bridge & Iron, Morgan City LA) - self-contained power/ballast plant, repair and machine shops, wing-wall cranes, crew accommodations per class description [other_primary]
- Locator
- BuDocks three-piece-dock description (ev-01); shipbuildinghistory disposition chain (ev-03); Amerace findings (ev-05); class framing consistent with NavSource AFDM-class spec on the AFDM-3 page (no AFDM-1 page exists)
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Era inference for this hull type: with no propulsion plant, the asbestos-relevant spaces aboard a 1942 Navy three-piece steel floating dock are the dock's own machinery and habitability spaces - thermal insulation and lagging in the power station and ballast-pump spaces; gaskets and packing in ballast, bilge, and service piping; fireproofing; insulation in berthing, mess, and galley spaces; brake linings on wing-wall cranes and deck machinery. Documented disturbance contexts for this hull: 1942 construction; the 1945 SeaBee careening modification (1,000 pontoons bolted to a wing wall, structural reinforcement struts); wartime and postwar ship-repair operations at Todd Galveston and Balboa; postwar ballast-tank flotation-compound treatments inside the dock's tanks (ev-05); the return canal transit circa 1946-48; and terminal scrapping in 1986.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1986
- Population
- CB&I Morgan City construction trades 1942; dock crew 1942-inactivation; SeaBee transit-modification crews 1945 and c.1946-48; Todd Galveston repair workforce 1942-1986; ballast-tank treatment crews 1950s-60s; 1986 breakers
- Limitations
- Type- and era-level inference only - no ship-specific asbestos record exists for this hull (see negative finding ev-11); this row must not be read as an independent ship-specific finding. A floating dock's machinery plant is far smaller than a powered ship's; inference weight is correspondingly narrower. Does not establish that asbestos products were or remain aboard, nor quantity, condition, individual exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-10
-
[11]Batch-608 search ledger (this record): BuDocks Ch. IX; DANFS Chimariko (Wayback); shipbuildinghistory; NARA Logbooks series; CourtListener API v4 (opinions + dockets); NVR; MARAD ShipHistory (site error); SUPSALV publications; NavSource indexes; Panama Canal Museum Collection; USNI Proceedings; Google Books pointer [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-01 through sl-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-15
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no ACM survey, insulation schedule, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum record, or qualifying asbestos-litigation opinion was found for this dock in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion and docket searches for 'AFDM-1'/'AFDM 1' returned a single hit - the Amerace Esna patent case (ev-05), classified other litigation - and none for 'YFD-3'/'YFD 3' or asbestos-linked variants. The hull is additionally unusual in having NO NavSource compiled page, NO DANFS entry, and NO NVR record (disposed 1986, preceding electronic NVR coverage; sister hulls AFDM-2/3/5/6/7 all have NVR pages).
- 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 - 1942 construction is era-consistent with incidental asbestos materials, and the dock's maintenance and breaking history is thinly documented. MARAD ShipHistory errored throughout the session (site fault, not a verified negative). The name is low-collision: 'AFDM-1' litigation hits were confined to Amerace; the only 'YFD-3' collision found is in Pearl Harbor USS Shaw narratives where 'YFD-3' denotes the 1901 dock YFD-2, not this hull. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-1-afdm1-11
-
[12]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 24 (Bureau of Naval Personnel - deck logs), RG 71 (Bureau of Yards and Docks), RG 19 (Bureau of Ships), RG 185 (Panama Canal records); Panama Canal Museum Collection [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov record-group guides; PCMC object-of-the-day page
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 24 deck logs for YFD-3 May-June 1945 (file units exist per batch brief; catalog API requires a key not held this session) - would document the transit operation day-by-day and confirm commissioning status; NARA RG 71 (Bureau of Yards and Docks) for the YFD construction program and the Todd Galveston lease files; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) for AFDM characteristics booklets and dock plans; Panama Canal Company/Zone records (NARA RG 185) and the FY1949 Governor's report p.30 for the careened-transit operations on this dock; NAVSEA Supervisor of Salvage file (no published AFDM-1 salvage report exists); Todd Galveston yard records for 44 years of lease operation; USCG vessel-documentation file if the dock was ever documented commercially.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1942-1987 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and repository 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-afdm-1-afdm1-12