Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
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[1]CourtListener opinion search: 'USS AFDM-2' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'USS AFDM-2' returned 2 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-afdm-2-afdm2-cl-name-opinion
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[2]CourtListener docket search: 'USS AFDM-2' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'USS AFDM-2' returned 6 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed; name query may match same-named vessels
- Evidence ID
- uss-afdm-2-afdm2-cl-name-docket
-
[3]CourtListener opinion search: 'AFDM-2' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener opinion search 'AFDM-2' returned 3 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-afdm-2-afdm2-cl-hull-opinion
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[4]CourtListener docket search: 'AFDM-2' [court_record]
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener docket search 'AFDM-2' returned 43 result(s) (2026-10-07); individual records not reviewed
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Limitations
- hit count only — underlying dockets/opinions not individually reviewed
- Evidence ID
- uss-afdm-2-afdm2-cl-hull-docket
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[5]U.S. Navy, Naval Ship Systems Command, NAVSHIPS 0994-001-4010, 'Technical Report on Salvaging of AFDM-2' (salvage by the Marine Salvage Division of Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corp. under Navy contract; ~35 pp., distribution statement A) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NAVSHIPS 0994-001-4010 - specifications block (inside cover), background/investigation (pp. 1-6), operations narrative (pp. 12-18), addenda incl. 'Salvage of 15000' AFDM-2' 12-stage plan drawing, Merritt-Chapman and Scott Corp. engineers/contractors. Live navsea.navy.mil URL returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; full PDF retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback captures (web.archive.org, captures 2017-2024).
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy technical report NAVSHIPS 0994-001-4010 ('Technical Report on Salvaging of AFDM-2', Naval Ship Systems Command, distribution statement A - approved for public release) documents this hull: built 1942 at Mobile, Alabama for the Navy at a construction cost of $2,760,300; operated by Todd Shipyards Corporation at New Orleans, LA under lease from the Navy 'since 1942'; all-welded steel construction of three bolted U-shaped sections (self-docking design); displacement 6,360 tons; 614 ft overall length including 35-ft outriggers; 90 ft inside wingwalls / 116 ft overall width; 37.5 ft inside / 52.75 ft overall height; 5.5 ft empty draft; lifting capacity 15,000 tons at 12-inch freeboard (16,000 tons at zero freeboard); electric generating plant for offshore operations. It docked more than 2,600 vessels during 23 years of service to the Port of New Orleans. On the night of 9 September 1965, Hurricane Betsy (winds 70-105 mph gusting 160) tore the drydock - with newly built freighter SS ELIZABETH LYKES docked aboard - from her mooring spuds at Todd's Algiers yard; storm-tossed vessels holed her (>100 holes incl. a 20x15-ft gash in the center section), the freighter floated out, and the drydock capsized, coming to rest off the Mandeville/Press Street wharves about 3 miles upstream. Navy-approved salvage by Merritt-Chapman & Scott's Marine Salvage Division commenced 23 November 1965 using land-based beach gear, inflatable pontoons, ballast, and compressed air in a 12-stage parbuckling plan; participating units documented in the report include salvage ships CURB and CABLE, lift ships SALVAGER (ARSD-3) and WINDLASS (ARSD-4), fleet tug USS SALINAN (ATF-161), and nine tugs. The hull broke free a second time in a February 1966 flood surge and work was suspended about three months for the spring flood crest, resuming 15 June 1966; the drydock righted 21 August 1966 and was returned to Todd Shipyards' Algiers yard 25 August 1966, 11.5 months after sinking - described as the Navy's biggest salvage operation since the Pearl Harbor battleship salvage.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-1966
- Population
- Todd Shipyards New Orleans drydock crew and ship-repair workforce (1942-1986); salvage workforce incl. Navy salvage officers and Merritt-Chapman & Scott marine specialists (1965-66)
- Limitations
- Authoritative Navy engineering publication naming this hull throughout; contains no asbestos, insulation-material, or hazardous-material content whatsoever - supports identity, construction, operation, and casualty/salvage history only. Cost figure rendered as $2,760,300 in spec block and ~$2,760,000 in narrative; both retained.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-2-afdm2-01
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[6]U.S. Maritime Administration, Vessel History Database - AFDM-2, ShipHistory Detail 64, incl. digitized status cards (cards 64_10318AF/BF) [marad_nrc]
- Locator
- vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov ShipHistory Detail 64 - characteristics block, Vessel Name History, Milestones table, Status Cards scans (live site returned HTTP 502; content and card images retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback capture 2026-05-15)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- MARAD Vessel History Database detail 64 with digitized NDRF status cards: vessel name history AFDM-2 / ex-YFD-4; mission World War II; type 'Naval Service Craft - ARDM Floating Dry Dock (non-self-propelled)'; year built 1942. Status card (Beaumont Reserve Fleet) records: entered 6/2/1986; withdrawn 8/18/1987 'Removed for Survey'; re-entered 1/27/1988; departed 9/1/1992 'Enroute to Trinity Marine' (milestone table: 'Leased out by Navy'); re-entered 5/16/1995; milestone table shows bare 'Withdrawl 2/11/2009'. Card note: 'Missing previous cards for this ship. New card was made on 8/25/87.' Milestone table additionally shows 'Entry 2/6/1966 / ENTRY TO PROGRAM V' and 'For custody only-see memo' 6/2/1986.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-2009
- Limitations
- Authoritative for government custody milestones and the status-card artifact. MARAD database fields contain demonstrable data-quality errors for this record: 'Shipyard: Everett Pacific Company' (unsupported by its own status card, which leaves builder blank; Everett Pacific built other YFDs - see gaps), dimensions 622x124 ft (generic-type figures vs hull-specific 614x116 per NAVSHIPS), 'Draft, Summer 52.80 tons' (field-mapping artifact), and type 'ARDM' vs Navy 'AFDM'. The bare 'Withdrawl 2/11/2009' milestone carries no destination. Contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-2-afdm2-02
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[7]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, USS AFDM-2 ex USS YFD-4 (page 09/28/2802, last updated 1 April 2022) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 09/28/2802 - chronology block, specifications block, awards, photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- NavSource Service Ship Photo Archive page for 'USS AFDM-2 ex USS YFD-4 (1943-1945)' supplies the designation relationship: laid down January 1943 at Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Co. as Yard Floating Dock YFD-4; delivered and placed in commission October 1943; redesignated Auxiliary Floating Dock Medium AFDM-2 in 1945; decommissioned and inactivated, date unknown; laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, TX, 16 May 1995; 'reactivated and transferred to the Government of the Dominican Republic in 1999'; sold to Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corp. at Port Arthur, TX, renamed Mr. Morris; current disposition active in commercial service at Port Arthur. Awards listed: American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal. Specifications: 6,400 t (lt), 616 ft, 116 ft beam, 6 ft draft, complement unknown. Page states no DANFS history exists for AFDM-2; photos include ex-USS Orleck (DD-886) drydocking in Mr. Morris at Gulf Copper Port Arthur (released February 2022).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-present
- Limitations
- Volunteer-compiled archival page quoting Navy sources; consistent with primary sources on designation and disposition but its 'laid down January 1943 / delivered October 1943' conflicts with NAVSHIPS ('built 1942... under lease from Navy since 1942'), MARAD ('1942'), and shipbuildinghistory (delivered Oct-42) - 1942 adopted, conflict in gaps. Its '1945' redesignation vs shipbuildinghistory '1946' and its 'transferred to Dominican Republic 1999' are carried as reported; the DR transfer is not confirmed by a primary source (see gaps). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-2-afdm2-03
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[8]shipbuildinghistory.com - 'Floating Docks (AFDB, AFDM, AFDL, ARD, ARDM, YFD)' table (updated June 2019) and 'Alabama (ADDSCO)' yard production list (updated September 2021) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shipbuildinghistory.com/smallships/auxafd.htm rows YFD-4 and AFDM-2; shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/alabama.htm hull 244 row
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- shipbuildinghistory.com construction tables: (a) Floating Docks (AFDB, AFDM, AFDL, ARD, ARDM, YFD) table - 'YFD 4: Alabama DD, Mobile AL, 6,400 tons, 616 ft, delivery Oct-42; To Todd New Orleans 1942, AFDM 2 1946, To Dom. Rep. 1999, to Gulf Copper Port Arthur as Mr. Morris, active'; matching 'AFDM 2' row cross-references 'See YFD 4'. (b) Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding (ADDSCO) yard hull list - hull no. 244, U.S. Official No. 1239049, 'YFD 4', owner U.S. Navy, type Dry Dock, 6,400 GT, 616 ft, built Oct-42, 'Later AFDM 2, now Gulf Copper's Mr. Morris'; the hull sits in build order between ADDSCO 243 (Liberty, Oct-42) and 245 (T2 tanker Arickaree, Mar-43), consistent with a 1942 delivery.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-present
- Limitations
- Independent compilation from yard and registry records - secondary in character but corroborated for builder/year by the official NAVSHIPS report and MARAD; treats the Dominican Republic transfer and 'AFDM 2 1946' redesignation year as reported (not primary-confirmed - see gaps). The site disclaims completeness for the floating-dock sector. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-2-afdm2-04
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[9]P.L. 105-261, Sec. 1018(9) (FY1999 NDAA, Venezuela sale authority) and P.L. 106-65, Sec. 1018(a)(1) (FY2000 NDAA, Dominican Republic grant authority) - enrolled public-law texts [other_primary]
- Locator
- govinfo.gov enrolled texts: PLAW-105publ261 Sec. 1018 item (9); PLAW-106publ65 Sec. 1018(a)(1)
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Two successive statutory transfer authorizations name this hull: (a) Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act FY1999, P.L. 105-261 (17 October 1998), Sec. 1018 - '(9) To the Government of Venezuela, the medium auxiliary floating dry dock bearing hull number AFDM 2' (sale basis under the Arms Export Control Act); (b) National Defense Authorization Act FY2000, P.L. 106-65 (5 October 1999), Sec. 1018(a)(1) - 'the Secretary of the Navy is authorized to transfer to the Government of the Dominican Republic the medium auxiliary floating dry dock AFDM 2. Such transfer shall be on a grant basis under section 516 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j).'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1998-1999
- Limitations
- Statutory text verified verbatim - authorizations only. Neither statute proves an executed transfer: the Venezuela sale (1998) plainly did not occur (the hull remained in U.S. custody and was authorized again in 1999), and no primary record was located showing the Dominican Republic grant was consummated - see gaps. No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-2-afdm2-05
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[10]The Maritime Executive, 'Gulf Copper Held Naming Ceremony for the Newest Dry Dock, Mr. Morris' (1 March 2012); Maritime Professional, 'New Ship Repair Capability in Port Arthur' (20 February 2012); USS LST-325 official ship's log, January 2013 entries; American Press, 'Orleck completes first phase of journey' (21 December 2021); NavSource photo captions 09380202-205 [reputable_press]
- Locator
- maritime-executive.com article (March 2012); maritimeprofessional.com/news/ship-repair-capability-port-arthur-222552; usslst325.blogspot.com/2013/01 (museum ship's own blog, posted by her master Capt. Jornlin); americanpress.com 2021-12-21; NavSource 09/28/2802 photo captions
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Commercial-era disposition verified: The Maritime Executive (1 March 2012) reports Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corp. completed refurbishment and re-naming of its newest dry dock 'Mr. Morris' - 'originally built for the United States Navy as the AFDM-2' - now in service at Gulf Copper's Port Arthur South Yard, 384 ft long, 116 ft breadth, 90 ft between wingwalls, ~9,000 long-ton lift, drafts to 20 ft (maritimeprofessional.com dates the naming ceremony 18 January 2012). The USS LST-325 museum ship's official log (January 2013) documents LST-325's ~6-week drydocking aboard Mr. Morris at Gulf Copper Port Arthur. NavSource photographs (released February 2022) show ex-USS Orleck (DD-886) drydocked in Mr. Morris at Gulf Copper Port Arthur; American Press (21 December 2021) reports Orleck towed to Gulf Copper Port Arthur for cleaning/inspection in a WWII-era floating drydock.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2012-present
- Population
- Gulf Copper shipyard workforce; drydocked museum-ship crews and volunteers
- Limitations
- Trade-press and first-party museum-log corroboration of present commercial identity and activity - consistent across independent sources. The American Press report names the dock 'GC-2500' at the Central Yard while NavSource photos caption Orleck in 'Mr. Morris' - yard/dock naming detail unadjudicated but the Port Arthur location is consistent. Commercial configuration (384 ft, ~9,000 LT) differs materially from the original 614-ft three-section dock - consistent with removal/shortening of sections, unverified. No asbestos information in any source.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-2-afdm2-06
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[11]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 - YFD section and designation-change passage
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Bureau of Yards and Docks official WWII history (Chapter IX, 'Floating Drydocks') documents the program under which this hull was built and redesignated: the YFD (Yard Floating Dock) program was undertaken in 1941 and continued aggressively through 1942-44 to remedy a critical shortage of yard/harbor docking facilities, including 'a number of large steel drydocks built in three sections to permit self-docking'; under the postwar designation modification 'the YFD's became AFDM's' (Auxiliary Floating Dock Medium); YFD-6 (not this hull) made the documented Panama Canal transit on her side using added buoyancy chambers - the same careening technique the NAVSHIPS report describes for this class of dock.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1941-1946
- Population
- WWII floating-dock builders and operators (program context)
- Limitations
- Official program-level history; does not name YFD-4/AFDM-2 and contains no asbestos or materials content - establishes only that this hull type belonged to the 1941-44 YFD program and that YFDs were redesignated AFDM. Supports the class/era framing, not any ship-specific material claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-2-afdm2-07
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[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
- 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) and the period during which it was operated and repaired at commercial ship-repair yards. 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 decades of lease operation.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- 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-2-afdm2-08
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[13]Batch-120 search ledger (this record): NAVSHIPS 0994-001-4010 full-text read; MARAD Detail 64 + status cards; NavSource 2802; shipbuildinghistory auxafd/ADDSCO tables; P.L. 105-261 and P.L. 106-65 texts; BuDocks Chapter IX; CourtListener API + web UI (blocked); indirect site-scoped search [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-afdm-2-afdm2-01 through sl-uss-afdm-2-afdm2-16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement record, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming AFDM-2 or YFD-4 was found in the public sources searched - including inside the official NAVSHIPS salvage engineering report (NAVSHIPS 0994-001-4010), which details this hull's structure, machinery, ballast systems, and 1965-66 repair scope without any mention of asbestos or insulation materials. CourtListener opinion search could not be executed directly (API HTTP 429, documented daily limit exhausted; web UI HTTP 403) - an indirect site-scoped search returned no opinion naming the hull (see search_ledger).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 2026-09-18
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1942-built steel service craft at ship-repair yards is era-consistent with incidental asbestos-containing materials, but no ship-level documentation was located. CourtListener coverage is incomplete (rate-limited); a name-match litigation hit may still exist. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-afdm-2-afdm2-09
-
[14]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 71 (Bureau of Yards and Docks) and RG 19 (Bureau of Ships); USCG merchant-vessel documentation guidance; CourtListener documented rate limits (125/day, 50/hour) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov record-group guides; CourtListener rate-limit response text; USCG NVDC documentation program
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 71 (Bureau of Yards and Docks records) for the YFD construction program and the Algiers/New Orleans lease files; NARA RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) for AFDM characteristics booklets and dock plans; NARA Eighth Naval District command records for the 1965 Hurricane Betsy salvage correspondence behind NAVSHIPS 0994-001-4010; NAVSEA Supervisor of Salvage report file for the full unabridged survey/diver reports referenced in the published technical report; U.S. Coast Guard vessel documentation file for Official No. 1239049 (commercial documentation chain for 'Mr. Morris'); and a CourtListener re-run of '"AFDM-2"', '"YFD-4"', and '"USS AFDM-2"' once API quota resets.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-18
- Study period
- 1942-present 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-2-afdm2-10