Evidence
16 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-16).
-
[1]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), 'US Navy Dry Docks AFDB AFDM AFDL ARDM ARD YFD' table, rows for AFDM-13 and YFD-70 [other_primary]
- Locator
- AFDM-13 and YFD-70 table rows
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Specialist shipbuilding table attributes YFD-70 to Columbia Const., Vancouver WA, delivery July 1945, and records the stationing chain: 'To Bethlehem Steel San Francisco 1945, AFDM 13 1946, to Todd Seattle 1969.'
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-1969
- Limitations
- Secondary specialist compilation, not a primary document - the site itself warns that floating-dock builder records 'are not clear and the table is far from complete.' The 'Columbia Const.' builder label conflicts in name (not location) with the Kaiser house organ's 'Vancouver Shipyard built' (Columbia Construction Co. was a Kaiser-affiliated firm - reconciliation probable but not documented by a primary instrument). Its 598-ft length conflicts with the 528-ft assembled length in federal court and NOAA records, which control. The 1945-1969 Bethlehem SF and 1969 Todd stationing endpoints are corroborated by the OHS delivery article (to San Francisco 1945), the 2005 Seattle Times (Navy-owned at Todd), and DOJ (Vigor-owned by 2016). No asbestos content in this source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-01
-
[2]The Bo's'n's Whistle, Oregon/Swan Island Edition, Vol. 5 No. 31 (1945-08-03), Oregon Historical Society Digital Collections [museum_official]
- Locator
- OHS catalog record - topical contents note for the 1945-08-03 issue (article-level text not retrieved)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The Kaiser shipyards' employee newspaper reported in its August 3, 1945 issue 'the delivery of the Vancouver Shipyard built drydock, the YFD 70 to San Francisco' (Oregon Historical Society catalog description of the issue's contents), corroborating the builder location and the 1945 delivery to San Francisco.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945
- Population
- Kaiser Vancouver Shipyard workforce (construction); dock delivery crew
- Limitations
- Museum-held primary periodical; the claim rests on OHS's catalog description of the issue, not a reviewed scan of the article text (collection pages are JavaScript-gated to this workflow). Establishes Vancouver build and delivery to San Francisco by early August 1945; contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-02
-
[3]Western Towboat Co. v. Vigor Marine, LLC, 85 F.4th 919 (9th Cir. 2023), quoting the 1944 Navy operating manual for the YFD-68/-69/-70/-71 family [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, Background section (manual quotation and citation)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- A U.S. Navy technical manual specific to this dock's family is quoted in the Ninth Circuit record: 'U.S. Navy, Floating Dry Docks YFD-68, YFD-69, YFD-70, YFD-71: General Information and Operating Manual 4 (1944),' providing that 'the dock has been designed to facilitate towing at sea. When towed, the end sections are stowed on the center section.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1944 (manual); 2016 (tow at issue)
- Limitations
- Establishes that a Navy operating manual naming this hull existed (1944) and documents the designed towing configuration; the manual itself was not retrieved - its materials/insulation specifications, if any, are unknown and it is cited here only as design documentation. No asbestos content in the cited text.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-03
-
[4]Western Towboat Co. v. Vigor Marine, LLC, 575 F. Supp. 3d 1318 (W.D. Wash. 2021) (bench order, findings of fact and conclusions of law); companion rulings 544 F. Supp. 3d 1100 and 566 F. Supp. 3d 1095 (W.D. Wash. 2021); docket 2:20-cv-00416-RSM [court_record]
- Locator
- Bench order, Findings of Fact (drydock description, NAVSEA certification, sale); judgment entered 2022-01-07
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Western Towboat Co. v. Vigor Marine, LLC (W.D. Wash. No. C20-0416-RSM): the district court's bench findings describe 'a decommissioned YFD-70 Drydock' - 'a three-section steel structure constructed in 1945,' center section 368 ft x 118 ft, two end sections 80 ft x 118 ft each, 528 ft overall - 'one of three drydocks in its class, the others being the YFD-69 and the YFD-71'; sold by Vigor to Amaya Curiel Corp. on April 14, 2016 for scrapping; NAVSEA-certified until 2013, 'the certification required for a drydock to dock a Navy ship.' Judgment: Western's contract claim dismissed; Vigor awarded $40,000 on its maritime-negligence counterclaim (Western Towboat III, 575 F. Supp. 3d 1318).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-2022 (facts found); 2021-2022 (judgment)
- Limitations
- OTHER LITIGATION - an admiralty dispute over the 2016 sinking, not an asbestos case. Documentary value: construction configuration, the YFD-69/-70/-71 class statement, the 2013 NAVSEA-certification lapse, and the 2016 sale for scrap. Establishes nothing about asbestos aboard the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-04
-
[5]Western Towboat Co. v. Vigor Marine, LLC, 85 F.4th 919 (9th Cir. 2023) - CourtListener opinion 9436315; official PDF, Nos. 22-35195/22-35217 [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, Summary and Background sections (official PDF at cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2023/10/31/22-35195.pdf)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Ninth Circuit (85 F.4th 919, Oct. 31, 2023): Vigor 'owned a drydock, YFD-70, constructed in 1945'; a 2013 Heger ultrasonic gauging survey showed impaired longitudinal stiffeners and 'heavy corrosion'; a 2015 failure of the pump, two reach rods, and a valve made continued maintenance uneconomical; sold to Amaya Curiel for scrapping at Ensenada; the OCEAN RANGER tow departed Seattle October 17, 2016 and the drydock capsized and sank inside the Monterey Bay sanctuary October 25-26, 2016. The panel affirmed the district court's 60% (Vigor) / 40% (Western) fault apportionment, vacating only the prejudgment-interest award.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2013-2023
- Limitations
- OTHER LITIGATION - affirmed admiralty judgment on the sinking, not an asbestos case. Value is documentary: ownership (Vigor), material condition (2013 corrosion survey), the failed 2015 machinery, and the sinking narrative. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-05
-
[6]Complaint, United States v. Vigor Industrial, LLC, Vigor Marine, LLC, Puget Sound Commerce Center Inc., and Amaya Curiel Corp., No. 3:22-cv-06101 (N.D. Cal., filed Oct. 17, 2022), D.J. Ref. 90-5-1-1-12343 [court_record]
- Locator
- Complaint paras. 1, 3, 11-16 (justice.gov ENRD consent-decree file)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- United States v. Vigor Industrial, LLC, et al., No. 3:22-cv-06101 (N.D. Cal.): DOJ's National Marine Sanctuaries Act complaint (filed 2022-10-17) alleges the YFD-70 Drydock - 'a three-section steel structure constructed in 1945,' 528 ft assembled, owned by Vigor before April 2016 and sold to Amaya Curiel - sank inside the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary on October 25-26, 2016 and remains on the seafloor, injuring coral and soft-benthic habitat.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2016-2022
- Limitations
- OTHER LITIGATION - federal NMSA enforcement for sanctuary-resource damages, not an asbestos case; the complaint is a pleading-stage statement of the government's claims. Settles ownership and sinking facts for record purposes; establishes nothing about asbestos aboard the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-06
-
[7]Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree Under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, 87 Fed. Reg. 64115 (Oct. 21, 2022), FR Doc. 2022-22846 [federal_register]
- Locator
- 87 FR 64115, DOJ notice
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Notice of Lodging of Proposed Consent Decree, 87 Fed. Reg. 64115 (Oct. 21, 2022): the proposed consent decree in United States v. Vigor Industrial, LLC, et al. resolves NMSA claims for the sinking of the YFD-70 Drydock for $9,135,134.80.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2022
- Limitations
- Regulatory/settlement record - documents the negotiated resolution amount, not an adjudicated finding of damages. Environmental (habitat) damages only; no asbestos or occupational-exposure content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-07
-
[8]NOAA ONMS, 'Final Restoration Plan and NEPA Evaluation for the YFD-70 Dry Dock' (Nov. 26, 2024) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter 1 (Background of Site/Incident; Summary of the Settlement); restoration alternatives analysis
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Final Restoration Plan and NEPA Evaluation for the YFD-70 Dry Dock (Nov. 2024): the tug Ocean Ranger was towing YFD-70 from a Puget Sound shipyard to an Ensenada recycling facility when the dock sank October 26, 2016 over Pioneer Canyon inside MBNMS at ~3,970 ft; July 2018 ROV surveys documented permanent injury to seafloor habitat (calculated footprint 69,777.80 sq ft; associated debris field at least 340,765.38 sq ft); removal was determined infeasible at that depth; approximately $8,700,000 was recovered under the consent decree for compensatory restoration.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2016-2024
- Limitations
- Authoritative federal NRDA record of the sinking and its aftermath. Contains no asbestos or hazmat-material finding about the hull - the documented injury is physical crushing/loss of benthic habitat. The plan's cover caption gives a 188-ft width that conflicts with its own Chapter 1 text and the court record (118 ft); treated as a caption typo.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-08
-
[9]NOAA IncidentNews, incident 9426 (posted 2016-12-14) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Incident 9426 initial notification and incident details
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- NOAA IncidentNews entry for the sinking ('WW-II dry dock; 34NM west of San Gregorio, CA,' incident 9426): 'the WW-II era floating dry dock (YFD70) sank while transiting under tow near the northwestern boundary of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary... The vessel reportedly did not have any fuels onboard.' Products of concern listed as 'Marine debris.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2016
- Limitations
- The 'no fuels onboard' statement narrows the documented hazmat profile of the sinking to the structure itself; it is not an asbestos statement - the record contains no materials characterization of the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-09
-
[10]Jennifer Sullivan, 'WWII dry dock leased by Todd,' The Seattle Times, Aug. 25, 2005 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article text (drydock capacity paragraph)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Seattle Times report on Todd Pacific Shipyards' drydock fleet (Aug. 25, 2005) describes 'the Navy owned YFD-70 dry dock' with a 17,500-ton lift capacity operating alongside Todd's Resolute (leased from the Navy) and Emerald Sea docks - documenting continued Navy ownership of this hull at the Todd Seattle yard four decades after its 1969 move north.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2005
- Population
- Todd Seattle drydock crews (context)
- Limitations
- Press account, not a registry instrument - but it fixes Navy ownership of the hull at Todd Seattle as of August 2005 and gives the working lift rating (17,500 tons). The article's focus is the separate Resolute (AFDM-10) lease. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-10
-
[11]Todd Shipyards Corp. / Vigor Industrial LLC joint press release, SEC EDGAR filing (Feb. 15, 2011) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Exhibit 99.1 press release text
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- SEC-filed joint press release (Feb. 15, 2011): Vigor Industrial LLC completed its acquisition of Todd Shipyards Corporation; Todd Pacific Shipyards became a Vigor subsidiary (Vigor Shipyards). DOJ later stated that Vigor owned the YFD-70 drydock before April 2016 - the 2011 acquisition is the documented mechanism by which the Todd Seattle yard, where this Navy-owned dock operated, passed to Vigor.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 2011
- Limitations
- Corporate-transaction record - does not name the drydock; it explains how the yard holding the hull changed hands. When and how title to the Navy-owned dock itself passed to Vigor (sale vs. other instrument) is not located - see gaps. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-11
-
[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 scholarship documents that asbestos was used extensively as fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, the program under which this 1945 welded steel drydock was built at a Kaiser-affiliated Columbia River yard. For a floating drydock (no boilers or steam propulsion), era-typical applications are compartment insulation, gaskets and packing on ballast pumps and valves, brake linings on cranes and winches, and electrical insulation.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and dock crews (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally - does not name this hull and does not establish that asbestos was or is aboard, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. This dock lacks the boiler/steam-plant insulation pathway typical of combatant ships; the inference rests on compartment finishes, gaskets/packing, brake linings, and electrical materials only, and is weaker than for a powered vessel.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-12
-
[13]Building the Navy's Bases in World War II (Bureau of Yards and Docks history), Chapter IX 'Floating Drydocks' - HyperWar/ibiblio transcription [other_primary]
- Locator
- Chapter IX, YFD section and 1946 reclassification paragraph
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The Navy's official Bureau of Yards and Docks history documents the 1946 floating-drydock nomenclature revision under which 'the YFD's became AFDM's' - the program mechanism converting this hull from YFD-70 to AFDM-13.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1946
- Limitations
- Program-level official history (transcription mirror) - documents the reclassification mechanism, not this hull's individual redesignation instrument or date. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-13
-
[14]NARA National Archives Catalog, 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' series (RG 24); batch-assignment assertion of YFD-70 logs for July-August 1945 [other_primary]
- Locator
- NARA deck-log research portal; catalog search-within series NAID 594258
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival lead (not retrieved): per the batch assignment, NARA records Navy deck logs for YFD-70 covering July-August 1945 - consistent with the dock's July 1945 delivery voyage to San Francisco documented by the Kaiser house organ. Such logs would sit in RG 24, 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' (NAID 594258).
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1945-07/1945-08
- Population
- Deck-log complement (delivery voyage), if logs survive
- Limitations
- Batch-provided lead, not independently verified in this session: the NARA catalog API is key-gated (returned the SPA shell to anonymous requests), and NARA's online digitized deck-log index does not list YFD-70 - the logs, if cataloged, are apparently not digitized. Log dates are service/delivery records, not commissioning dates. Contents unknown until surveyed at College Park; nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-14
-
[15]Herring v. Texaco, Inc., 161 Wn.2d 189, 165 P.3d 4 (2007) - as indexed in the project shipyards.json entry for todd-shipyards [court_record]
- Locator
- Opinion, 161 Wn.2d 189 (facts and Todd 1987 Chapter 11 / bar-date analysis)
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- Operator-yard asbestos-litigation context: in Herring v. Texaco, Inc., 161 Wn.2d 189, 165 P.3d 4 (2007), the Washington Supreme Court addressed asbestos claims by Roger Herring, who worked for subcontractors at Todd Shipyards sites in the 1960s-early 1970s (pleural thickening 1986, asbestosis, fatal mesothelioma 2002) - the same Todd yard at which this Navy-owned dock was stationed from 1969.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-20
- Study period
- 1960s-2007
- Population
- Todd Shipyards subcontractor workers (yard context)
- Limitations
- Yard-level litigation context only - the case concerns Todd Shipyards worksites and does not name this hull or allege exposure aboard it. It documents that the drydock's long-term operator yard was an asbestos-litigation venue during the hull's station there; it establishes nothing about asbestos aboard YFD-70/AFDM-13.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-15
-
[16]Batch-610 search ledger (this record): NOAA ONMS/IncidentNews; DOJ ENRD; Federal Register; W.D. Wash. and 9th Cir. records; CourtListener; NARA; NVR; NHHC/DANFS; NavSource; OHS; SEC EDGAR; shipbuildinghistory.com [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-01 through -12
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed asbestos case naming YFD-70 or AFDM-13 was found in the sources searched (see search_ledger). CourtListener opinion search returned zero hits for 'AFDM-13' and a single non-asbestos admiralty case for 'YFD-70'; the NOAA, DOJ, and court files document the 2016 sinking in detail but contain no asbestos 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 - the hull's 1945 construction and 71-year service at asbestos-era yards are consistent with era-typical materials. The 2013 Heger gauging survey and the 2016 Bowditch tow survey exist but are not public and their materials content is unknown. Does not establish that asbestos is or is not present; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-13-afdm13-16