Evidence
10 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-10).
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[1]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive - APL-17 ex YF-628 [other_primary]
- Locator
- APL-17 entry: chronology block, 'Specifications As Built' block, awards display, photo caption 19-N-73817
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- APL-17 (ex-YF-628): ordered as covered lighter YF-628 on 9 Nov 1943; reclassified APL-17 on 7 Jan 1944; built by Tampa Shipbuilding Co., Tampa FL (yard no. 117); laid down 15 May 1944; launched 2 Jul 1944; delivered and placed in service 20 Sep 1944 with LT David G. Dwight, USNR, in charge; towed New Orleans to Admiralty Islands with APL-8 by ATA-177, Oct-Dec 1944; stationed in Leyte Gulf Feb 1945 to unknown date; struck from Naval Register 1 Aug 1969; sold for scrap 14 Jan 1971. Spec block: 1,300 t light / 2,660 t full; 260.0 ft wl / 261.2 ft oa; beam 48 ft; draft 10 ft; accommodations 6 officers + 66 enlisted crew, 583 enlisted troops; three diesel-drive 100 kW 450 AC ship's service generators; 1,000 bbl diesel; awards display lists American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal; explicit note 'There is no DANFS history currently available for APL-17.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained secondary compilation of official records (NHHC/NVR/BuShips), not itself a primary source; no DANFS narrative exists to corroborate the chronology. Awards display is auto-generated in places - NDSM listing unverified against the craft's in-reserve status (see gaps). Establishes identity, construction, service, and disposition; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information and supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-17-apl17-01
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[2]ShipScribe (Stephen S. Roberts), USS APL-2 Class page - construction table, disposal table, ship notes, class notes compiled from official Navy program records [other_primary]
- Locator
- Construction table row 17; disposal table row 17; Ship Notes 'APL-17'; Class Notes (design description; 'APL 17-31' program paragraph)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe APL class table and ship notes corroborate: APL-17 ordered 9 Nov 43 (Tampa SB), keel 15 May 44, launch 2 Jul 44, in service 20 Sep 44; ship note 'APL-17: Ex YF-628 7 Jan 44. In service in reserve by Jul 46. Sold for scrap 1971'; disposal table: struck 1 Aug 69, sold 14 Jan 71. Class design per ShipScribe: 'standard non-self-propelled 2,000-ton 260-foot Navy covered barges with a two-story barracks built on top instead of the usual simple warehouse' - rectangular barges with raised bow and skegs for ocean towing; Tampa contract of 9 Nov 43 was for YF 624-633 and the date was retained for APL 17-22 after redesignation from YF 628-633. Program purpose: floating barracks for repair-force personnel so tenders/repair ships could man machine tools on a three-shift basis (Auxiliary Vessels Board and BuShips recommendations, Jun-Dec 1943).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1971
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation reproducing BuShips/Auxiliary Vessels Board records - dates corroborate NavSource independently. 'In service in reserve by Jul 46' does not name the reserve berthing location (see gaps). No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-17-apl17-02
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[3]U.S. National Archives, RG-19-LCM, photo 19-N-73817 (captioned via NavSource APL-17 archive and ShipScribe class photo page) [other_primary]
- Locator
- ShipScribe APL photo page, caption for 19-N-73817; NavSource APL-17 page photo table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- U.S. National Archives photograph 19-N-73817 (Record Group 19-LCM, Bureau of Ships) documents APL-17 under tow near her builder's yard, Tampa Bay Shipbuilding Co., Tampa FL, on 8 October 1944 - about two weeks after completion. Confirms physical existence, configuration (covered barge with two-story barracks block), and builder attribution.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944
- Population
- Towing/yard personnel visible context only
- Limitations
- NARA photo caption verified via two secondary mirrors; the catalog.archives.gov API returned no parseable response to scripted queries (retrieval via NARA catalog interface unconfirmed - see search_ledger). A photograph contains no materials data; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-17-apl17-03
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[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 1987;11(3):359-373 (PMID 3555021, DOI 10.1002/ajim.4700110311) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article record (PubMed PMID 3555021; publisher DOI page)
- 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, when wartime industrial expansion produced an unprecedented rise in asbestos utilization; shipyard workers and others exposed in the 1940s developed asbestos diseases from the 1960s onward. APL-17 was built in 1944 at Tampa Shipbuilding, a commercial wartime yard, squarely inside this documented use window.
- Verification
- inferred
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1940s wartime shipbuilding
- Population
- Construction trades (Tampa Shipbuilding, 1944); WWII shipyard workers (class context)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level literature - does not name this hull, this class, or this yard; establishes that asbestos use was standard practice in 1940s U.S. shipbuilding, not that it was present aboard APL-17. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation aboard this craft.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-17-apl17-04
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[5]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]
- Locator
- GAO product page HRD-80-2 (full text blocked to automated fetch, HTTP 403 - standing note from batch-01)
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO documented the Navy's asbestos-protection program: the standing policy to remove deteriorated asbestos insulation during overhauls dates from 1975, with a 1979 directive tightening removal requirements. APL-17 was sold for scrap in January 1971 - before the documented Navy asbestos-control program era and before federal NESHAP asbestos rules - so no Navy-custody abatement record is expected to exist for this hull.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1979 (program review); bounds 1971 disposal
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation bounding what records could exist - not hull-specific. Establishes expected absence of a Navy abatement record post-1971 disposal; does not establish presence or absence of ACM aboard, and says nothing about the scrapyard-phase handling of any material.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-17-apl17-05
-
[6]NavSource APL-17 spec block (machinery section); GlobalSecurity.org APL type page (self-sufficiency description; NAVSEA Booklet of General Plans drawing numbers); ShipScribe class notes (design description) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 'Specifications As Built'; GlobalSecurity APL page description paragraph + drawing table (dwg 5907584 for APL-17 class); ShipScribe class notes
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The APL-17 class design had no propulsion plant: these craft were non-self-propelled covered barges whose only machinery was diesel-driven ship's service generators (three 100 kW 450 AC units per NavSource spec block) plus habitability systems - secondary type description (GlobalSecurity) describes self-sufficient berthing craft carrying generators, boilers, refrigeration, and sewage plant, i.e. service/heating boilers rather than propulsion boilers. Asbestos-relevant plant aboard this craft type is therefore confined to habitability/utility systems and construction materials - no main steam system, boilers-for-propulsion, turbines, or engine-room insulation train existed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944 design
- Population
- Crew ~71-72 design (6 officers + 66 enlisted per NavSource; '71' per ShipScribe); berthed personnel up to 583 enlisted
- Limitations
- Defines the asbestos-relevant boundary, not presence: the absence of a propulsion plant narrows candidate ACM systems but says nothing about which materials were actually installed. GlobalSecurity is a secondary compilation - the 'boilers' detail (service boilers) is unverified against the class plans; NAVSEA drawing 5907584 is an archival lead, not retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-17-apl17-06
-
[7]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for 'APL-17', '"APL-17" asbestos', 'YF-628', 'YF 628' (authenticated via cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py results logged in search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-17-apl17-08 through -11
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener authenticated sweeps completed 2026-09-26: 'APL-17' opinions returned 5 hits, all name collisions - APL Co./American President Lines corporate litigation and incidental string matches in unrelated cases (Whitefield v. Hall 1938; Safir v. Klutznick 1981; Etter v. Missouri Pacific Ry. 1884; Wellman v. Miner 1899); '"APL-17" asbestos' returned 0; 'YF-628' returned 0; 'YF 628' returned 0; 'APL-17' dockets returned 39 hits, all incidental (bankruptcy adversary proceedings, patent litigation, one American President Lines matter, phone-number string matches). No qualifying asbestos litigation - or any litigation - naming the hull or its YF alias was located.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- sweep completed 2026-09-26
- Limitations
- A completed sweep negative is not proof that no case exists: unindexed state-court filings, settled pleading-stage matters, and dockets not captured in RECAP would not appear. 'APL-17' is a high-collision string (APL shipping line, phone exchanges) - results were individually screened and classified non-qualifying, none ambiguous.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-17-apl17-07
-
[8]Batch-2470 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (404), NVR, NARA deck-log lists and SL44, MARAD ShipHistory, NavSource, ShipScribe, Shipbuilding History, GlobalSecurity, CourtListener sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-17-apl17-01 through -13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no hull ACM survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, plans-level materials statement, museum record (hull scrapped 1971 - none exists), or litigation naming APL-17 or YF-628 was found in the sources searched - no DANFS entry exists, NVR excludes pre-1987 disposals, no APL deck logs are digitized at NARA, no MARAD ShipHistory record exists (hull never in MARAD custody), and the NavSource/ShipScribe/Shipbuilding History compilations contain no asbestos statement (see search_ledger).
- 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 1944 accommodation barge is era-consistent with ACM in construction and habitability materials, and disposal before asbestos-control regimes means no abatement documentation would be expected even if ACM was present. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-17-apl17-08
-
[9]NavSource APL-17 entry (in-service phrasing) vs Wikipedia APL-17-class table and ShipScribe column convention ('commissioned'/'Commiss.') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource chronology block; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APL-17-class_barracks_ship class table; ShipScribe construction table header
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Commissioning-status correction: secondary sources (Wikipedia class table; ShipScribe 'Commiss.' column header) print 'commissioned 20 September 1944' for APL-17. NavSource's entry - reflecting service-craft practice - reads 'Delivered and placed in service, LT David G. Dwight, USNR, in charge, 20 September 1944.' APLs were noncommissioned Navy service craft manned by an officer-in-charge, not commissioned warships with a commanding officer; 'in service' is the correct status and is carried in this record.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944
- Limitations
- Terminology correction only - the 20 Sep 1944 date itself is uncontested across all sources. Does not affect the asbestos analysis; prevents a 'commissioned warship' misreading of a noncommissioned craft's status.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-17-apl17-09
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[10]NARA Navy deck-log online list (no APL entries) + Special List 44 (no APL-17 coverage); GlobalSecurity APL page (NAVSEA drawing numbers); NARA RG 19 / RG 24 record-group guidance [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov deck-log list (A section - no APL vessels); special-list-44-named (no APL-17); globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/apl.htm drawing table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs 1944-46 for APL-17 - not on the digitized deck-log list, textual reference at Archives II College Park; (b) NARA RG-19-LCM Bureau of Ships photos - 19-N-73817 confirmed for this hull, a photo series may hold construction/outfitting views; (c) NAVSEA Booklet of General Plans drawing 5907584 (APL-17 class, per GlobalSecurity listing) - the plans booklet is the document most likely to carry materials/insulation callouts for the type; (d) BuShips contract records for the Tampa Shipbuilding 9 Nov 1943 contract (YF 624-633) - RG 19.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1971 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and drawing-number mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for this hull is unknown until surveyed. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-17-apl17-10