Evidence
11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).
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[1]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, APL-15 ex YF-609 entry (milestone chronology, as-built specifications, Officer-in-Charge list, photo captions) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APL-15 archive page: milestone list, 'Specifications As Built,' Officer-in-Charge roster, photo captions 09711504-09711506 and 2004-2011 pier photos
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- APL-2-class non-self-propelled barracks ship: ordered as YF-609 1943-05-03; reclassified APL-15 1943-08-12; laid down 1943-10-29 by Nashville Bridge Co., Nashville, TN; launched 1944-01-29; delivered 1944-08-01; placed in service 1944-08-05 (LT Thompson Morrison, USNR, Officer-in-Charge); towed New Orleans to Pearl Harbor via Key West and Canal Zone by WSA tug Scotch Cap 1944-08-26 to 1944-11-02; towed from Pearl Harbor by WSA tug Point Arena 1944-11-19 to 1944-12-04; assigned to Naval Operating Base, Guam, March 1945 to 1946-05-17; placed out of service 1946-05-17; currently part of the CincPacFlt Berthing and Messing Program, berthed at 'Mole' pier, NavSta San Diego, CA. Photo captions place the craft at Ulithi on 1944-12-25 and alongside USS Cushing (DD-985) during that destroyer's pre-decommissioning (Aug-Sep 2005). NavSource states no DANFS history exists for APL-15.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-2024
- Population
- Wartime embarked personnel (capacity 583 enlisted troops/repair-force personnel); craft crew 6 officers, 66 enlisted
- Limitations
- NavSource is a private archival compilation reproducing official Navy data, not itself an official source; milestones are consistent with shipscribe's NVR-derived table. The Point Arena tow destination is blank in the milestone text (Ulithi attested only by photo captions). Does not contain any asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-15-apl15-01
-
[2]shipscribe.com, USS APL-2 class page (Stephen S. Roberts compilation of NVR/BuShips construction, disposition, and ship-note data) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APL-2 class page: Construction table row APL-15, disposition table row APL-15, Class Notes 'APL 14-15' paragraph, Ship Notes row 15
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Class table and ship note for APL-15: ex YF-609 (reclassified 12 Aug 1943); ordered 3 May 1943; built by Nashville Bridge; laid down 29 Oct 1943; launched 29 Jan 1944; completed 22 Jul 1944; delivered 1 Aug 1944; in service in reserve by Jan 1947; in service 2011 at San Diego; never stricken (disposition 'I.S.'). Class design notes: standard non-self-propelled 2,000-ton 260-ft Navy covered barge with a two-story barracks superstructure; machinery: none; original armament 4 x 20mm; complement 71 + 583 troops. APLs 14-15 were converted on the building ways from YF-604-group hulls to house repair parties assigned to repair ships ARG-2 and ARG-3.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-2011
- Limitations
- Scholarly compilation of Naval Vessel Register and BuShips/Auxiliary Vessels Board records; secondary source, though consistent with NavSource milestones. 'In service in reserve by Jan 47' leaves the 1947-circa-2004 reactivation interval undocumented. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-15-apl15-02
-
[3]navysite.de APL-15 photo record (dated photographs by named contributors showing the craft at Naval Base San Diego, 2010-03-24 through 2024-07-26, including support of USS Cowpens (CG-63) and USS Cape St. George (CG-71) crews) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- APL-15 page photo gallery, dated captions 2010-2024
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Dated photographic record places APL-15 at Naval Base San Diego continuously through 26 July 2024, performing the berthing-barge function (shown supporting cruiser crews during availabilities).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2010-2024
- Population
- Sailors berthed aboard during ship maintenance availabilities (contemporary)
- Limitations
- navysite.de's data fields conflict with NavSource/shipscribe (launch listed 'January 29, 1943' - impossible, precedes keel laying; 'Delivered July 22, 1944' is the completion date; accommodations '7 officers, 677 enlisted' reflect a later fit-out). Used here only for photographic presence corroboration; no data fields adopted. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-15-apl15-03
-
[4]Corn, Jacqueline Karnell, and Jennifer Starr, 'Historical perspective on asbestos: Policies and protective measures in World War II shipbuilding,' American Journal of Industrial Medicine 11(3):359-373 (1987) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article, AJIM 11(3):359-373
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Peer-reviewed historical study documents that asbestos was used extensively as a fireproofing and insulating material in U.S. shipbuilding during WWII, the era and program under which this 1943-44 Navy barracks craft was mass-produced, and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard naval and merchant-type hulls.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940s era documented; article 1987
- Population
- WWII shipyard workers and ship crews (class context); Nashville Bridge Co. construction trades (1943-44)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation. APL-15 is an unpowered barge - the steam-plant insulation emphasis of shipbuilding-era documentation applies only marginally; candidate materials aboard would be habitability-system insulation, fireproofing, deck coverings, and gaskets.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-15-apl15-04
-
[5]U.S. General Accounting Office, PLRD-81-41, 'Navy's Berthing Facilities and Crewing Practices for Ships Undergoing Overhaul' (1981), product description and mirrored text [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page PLRD-81-41; mirrored full text at https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/berthing-barge.htm
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documents that the Navy acquired 17 APL berthing barges during 1944-1946 (the cohort to which APL-15 belongs) to house overhaul crews; that a 1978-79 Navy habitability study concluded 7,975 berthing spaces were inadequate and needed rehabilitation; and that the Navy believed many older barges did not meet habitability standards. Establishes that WWII-era APLs remained in the active berthing-barge inventory into the 1980s.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1981 (report); underlying study 1978-1979
- Population
- Sailors berthed on Navy barges during ship overhauls (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level audit of the berthing-barge fleet; does not name APL-15 or address asbestos/hazardous materials. gao.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated fetch (2026-09-26, consistent with prior batch finding); citation relies on the product-page description and text mirrored at globalsecurity.org. Full-text pull remains an open lead.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-15-apl15-05
-
[6]SAM.gov, NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego - COMPACFLT Berthing and Messing Program O-level maintenance: sources-sought notice (April 2026, draft PWS) and predecessor contract N00244-21-C-0003 (United Support Services, through 13 Nov 2026) [other_primary]
- Locator
- sam.gov opportunity 3a034a26781e4cc280e5bb0d730634c4 ('Barge O-Level Maintenance', posted Apr 2026); contract N00244-21-C-0003
- Finding type
- regulatory
- Finding
- Federal procurement records document the currently active COMPACFLT Berthing and Messing Program, under which contractor O-level maintenance is performed on berthing barges at six Pacific locations including San Diego - the program in which APL-15 is documented serving.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2021-2026
- Population
- Contractor maintenance personnel working aboard berthing barges (contemporary)
- Limitations
- Program-level contract documentation; names no individual hull and contains no asbestos or hazmat disclosure in the public notice text. APL-15's participation in the program is attested by NavSource disposition and photographic records, not by this document.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-15-apl15-06
-
[7]Task & Purpose, Kyle Gunn, 'The Navy has a floating barracks that is somehow worse than living on an actual ship' (updated 29 July 2021) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article body, fleet-age paragraph
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Defense-trade press reports that at the time of writing, 13 of the Navy's 18 active berthing barges 'were built between 1944 and 1946, back when lead paint and asbestos were industry standards' - describing the WWII-era barge cohort to which APL-15 belongs while it remains in berthing service.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2021
- Population
- Sailors berthed on WWII-era barges (program context)
- Limitations
- Press characterization of the fleet cohort, not a hull-level finding: names no specific barge, cites no survey, and 'industry standards' framing is general-era characterization, not documentation of asbestos aboard APL-15.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-15-apl15-07
-
[8]NavSource Officer-in-Charge roster for APL-15 (LT Morrison, LT Kerr, LTjg McKinley, ENS Minucciani, 1944-08-05 to 1946-05-17) and 'placed in service'/'out of service' milestone language [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource APL-15 page, milestone list and Officer-in-Charge table
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- APL-15 was never a commissioned vessel: she was 'placed in service' 5 Aug 1944 under an Officer-in-Charge (not a commanding officer) and 'placed out of service' 17 May 1946. Secondary sources rendering 'commissioned 1 August 1944 / decommissioned 17 May 1946' (e.g., Wikipedia) apply commissioned-vessel terminology to a noncommissioned service craft; the 1 Aug 1944 date is the delivery date.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1946
- Limitations
- Terminology correction only; the underlying dates agree across sources. The conventional 'USS APL-15' styling is retained in this record's name field for discoverability and does not denote a commission.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-15-apl15-08
-
[9]CourtListener API v4 authenticated sweep, 2026-09-26: "APL-15" verbatim opinions (3 hits) and RECAP dockets (43 hits); "YF-609" opinions (0); "APL-15 asbestos" opinions (28 loose matches) [court_record]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-15-apl15-05 through -08
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- No qualifying asbestos litigation naming APL-15 or YF-609 located. Verbatim "APL-15" opinion hits are name collisions (State v. Harris, Del. Super. 2017; APL Co. Pte. Ltd. v. Blue Water Shipping, 2d Cir. 2010 - 'APL' is American President Lines; State v. Lindsey, Wash. 1936). Docket hits reviewed are likewise collisions (APL Access & Security labor case; American President Lines admiralty/contract suits; 'APL-15' strings inside Apple litigation exhibit codes). 'YF-609' returned zero. 'APL-15 asbestos' loose matches include maritime asbestos defendant American President Lines, Ltd. - a commercial carrier, not this craft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- CourtListener indexes published opinions and RECAP dockets; unindexed state-court filings, trial-court pleadings, MDL-875 submissions, and trust claims are outside its coverage. A no-hit sweep rules out indexed appellate/docket presence only - it does not prove no claim was ever filed. Fleet pacing budget blocked two supplementary variant queries mid-session; the verbatim hull-number sweep on both indexes was completed.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-15-apl15-09
-
[10]Batch-2468 search ledger (this record): NavSource service-craft archive; shipscribe APL-2 class record; NHHC/DANFS coverage check; NVR detail page; NARA RG 24 logbook series; GAO PLRD-81-41; SAM.gov program contract; defense-press coverage; CourtListener opinion and docket sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-15-apl15-01 through -11
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, museum/NHHC narrative, or docketed case naming APL-15 was found in the public sources searched (see search_ledger). No DANFS entry exists for this hull (NavSource).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- Absence of a located public record does not prove absence of asbestos aboard - a 1943-44 hull still in berthing service is consistent with retained era materials, replacement during undocumented rehabilitations, or abatement under non-public maintenance contracts. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-15-apl15-10
-
[11]U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 105940 (APL-15 probably at completion, Nashville, TN, August 1944 - attribution via shipscribe photo page); NARA RG 24 'Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations' (series 594258) for WWII logbook coverage; Naval Vessel Register detail page for APL-15 [nhhc_danfs]
- Locator
- shipscribe.com/usnaux/APL/APL02-p.html (photo attribution); catalog.archives.gov series 594258; nvr.navy.mil
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads not yet exploited: NHHC holds a cataloged completion photograph of this hull (NH 105940); WWII-era deck logs for the Aug 1944-May 1946 service period likely exist in NARA RG 24 logbook series (would document Guam duty and any material/condition remarks); the NVR detail page may carry disposition fields (in-service dates, custodian) not captured by secondary compilations.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-2026
- Limitations
- Leads only - NHHC catalog entry not independently retrieved (photo number cited from shipscribe attribution); NARA logbook digitization for this hull unverified; NVR detail page unreachable by automated fetch (frame-based site returned navigation shell). None of these sources has been shown to contain asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-15-apl15-11