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-2 page (privately maintained archive reproducing official-source build/service data; page updated 2016-03-09) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APL-2 page: class description line, specifications block, and photo captions (Puget Sound Navy Yard photos 98-45/99-45 dated 1945-01-10; San Diego photos 2004 and 2011)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- APL-2 Class non-self-propelled barracks ship: built by Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, WA; ordered 1943-10-07; laid down 1944-05-12; launched 1944-07-06; completed by Everett Pacific Shipbuilding, Everett, WA; delivered and placed in service 1945-05-25; towed Seattle to Pearl Harbor by ATA-121, 1945-06-15 to 1945-06-27; towed Pearl Harbor to Eniewetok by ATA-121, 1945-07-04 to 1945-07-22; at Eniwetok through at least October 1945; part of the CincPacFlt Berthing and Messing Program berthed at 'mole' pier, NavSta San Diego, CA. As-built specs: 1,300 t light / 2,660 t full; 261.2 ft oa; beam 49 ft 2 in; draft 8 ft 6 in; crew 6 officers + 66 enlisted; troop berthing 583 enlisted; three diesel-driven 100 kW 450 V AC generators; fuel 1,000 bbl. NavSource notes no DANFS history exists for APL-2.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-2016
- Population
- crew (6 officers, 66 enlisted as built) plus embarked berthing population up to 583 enlisted
- Limitations
- NavSource is a volunteer-maintained archive, not a government repository - figures corroborated where possible against NVR and Shipscribe (keel, launch, in-service dates all match). Establishes identity, construction, transit, and berthing-barge disposition. Contains no asbestos information and establishes no exposure claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-2-apl2-01
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[2]U.S. Navy, Naval Vessel Register (NAVSEA), Ship Details: NO NAME (APL 2) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR ship-detail page fields: VESSEL STATUS, MILESTONE DATES, PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS sections
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Naval Vessel Register record for hull APL 2 (shipId 20, UIC 01622, class 'APL 2', type 'BARRACKS CRAFT (N-S-P)'): status 'active, in service'; date status changed 1977-07-01; builder field 'Everett Marine Ways Inc.'; award date 1945-04-05; keel date 1944-05-12; launch date 1944-07-06; delivery date 1945-05-25; commission, in-service, decommission, and strike fields all blank; custodian 'COMPACFLT BERTHING & MESSING PROGRAM, PEARL HARBOR, HI'; planning yard 'Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & IMF'; program manager 'PMS 300'; record last updated 2026-05-22.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-2026
- Limitations
- Official register. Blank commission/decommission/strike fields are consistent with a noncommissioned service craft; blank in-service field notwithstanding, status text reads 'active, in service'. NVR builder field names the completion contractor (Everett Marine Ways Inc.) rather than the keel yard (Puget Sound Navy Yard) - the 1945-04-05 'award date' matches Shipscribe's documented completion contract. Physical characteristics suppressed on public NVR. Establishes current status and custody; contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-2-apl2-02
-
[3]Shipscribe.com, USS APL-2 Class construction data (compiled from official U.S. Navy Ships' Data / BuShips program records) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APL-2 row of the construction table; APL-2 entry in the per-hull Notes column
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipscribe class construction table and hull notes for APL-2: ordered 1943-10-07; builder NYd Puget Sound; keel 1944-05-12; launch 1944-07-06; 'commissioned' (placed in service) 1945-05-25; note: 'To Everett Pacific SB for completion, contract 5 Apr 45. In service in reserve by Jan 47. In service 2011 at San Diego.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-2011
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation of official records (Shipscribe reproduces Ships' Data and auxiliary-vessels program documentation); dates agree with NVR and NavSource. The table's 'Commiss.' column heading is program shorthand - the craft was placed in service, not commissioned (NVR commission field blank). No asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-2-apl2-03
-
[4]Shipscribe.com, USS APL-2 Class page - Class Notes (reproducing Auxiliary Vessels Board and BuShips program correspondence) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Class Notes section, 'APL 2-13' paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- APL-program origin: on 1943-06-11 the Auxiliary Vessels Board recommended building a 2,000-ton barracks barge for each EC-2 repair-ship conversion (ARG 4-13, ARV 1-2) to house repair-force personnel for three-shift operation; the craft were standard non-self-propelled 260-ft Navy covered barges with a two-story barracks superstructure, fitted with a raised bow and skegs for ocean towing; APL-2 belongs to the APL 2-13 group ordered 1943-10-07 (FY 1944 program).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1945
- Population
- WWII repair-force personnel intended to be housed aboard (program intent)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation naming the group to which this hull belongs; describes design intent and procurement rationale, not materials. No asbestos or materials statement. Does not by itself establish APL-2's pairing with a specific repair ship.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-2-apl2-04
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[5]DVIDS (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service), 'Essex Barge Relocation,' U.S. Navy photo by MC1 Omar Dominquez, VIRIN 230113-N-DZ831-0106, Photo ID 7594492 [other_primary]
- Locator
- Image caption and image-info block (date taken 2023-01-13, posted 2023-01-19)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Official U.S. Navy photo caption: 'A barge (APL-2), assigned to amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), pulls into Pier 1 during a relocation in San Diego, Jan. 13, 2023. Essex is dry docked in San Diego conducting a maintenance period to upgrade and refurbish many key systems aboard.' Gallery imagery shows the hull marked 'COMPACFLT BERTHING & MESSING PROGRAM.' Confirms APL-2 remained in operational berthing-barge service at San Diego in January 2023.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2023-01-13
- Population
- embarked berthing population - USS Essex (LHD 2) unaccompanied crew during maintenance period
- Limitations
- Official DoD release; establishes operational berthing-barge service at San Diego as of January 2023 (nearly 78 years after delivery). Photo captions document service role only; no asbestos, material, or condition information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-2-apl2-05
-
[6]U.S. General Accounting Office, 'Navy's Berthing Facilities and Crewing Practices for Ships Undergoing Overhaul,' PLRD-81-41 (April 1981) [gao]
- Locator
- Enclosure I - berthing-barge inventory/capabilities table and narrative; digest page
- Finding type
- gov_survey
- Finding
- GAO report PLRD-81-41 (April 1981, to Rep. Addabbo, Subcommittee on Defense) documents the Navy's berthing-barge fleet: in July 1980 the Navy reported 17 APLs in the service-craft inventory; 'The Navy acquired the 17 APLs during 1944 through 1946. They provide berthing, messing, administrative, and classroom facilities. Five APLs house 132 to 266 people, five house 267 to 449, and seven house 450 to 720. In addition to the 17 APLs, 2 are on loan to foreign governments.' GAO reported the Navy believed many older barges did not meet habitability standards, and the Navy was acquiring 16 new berthing barges.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1980-1981
- Population
- overhaul crews housed aboard the Navy APL/YRBM berthing fleet
- Limitations
- Fleet-level program documentation; names the APL inventory (of which APL-2 was part, per its continuous NVR service record) but not this hull individually. The report contains no asbestos statement; habitability deficiencies described are program-level. gao.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch; verified via Wayback Machine capture 2023-03-13.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-2-apl2-06
-
[7]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 period and program under which this 1944-45 Navy-yard-built accommodation craft was constructed - and that wartime demand drove unprecedented asbestos utilization aboard American-built hulls.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- 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)
- Limitations
- Program/era-level scholarly documentation of asbestos use in WWII shipbuilding generally; does not name this vessel or its class and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard this hull, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-2-apl2-07
-
[8]Gunn, Kyle, 'The Navy berthing barge: worse than life on an actual ship?' Task & Purpose (updated 2021-07-29) [reputable_press]
- Locator
- Article, age/materials paragraph
- Finding type
- asbestos_application
- Finding
- Defense-trade press (Task & Purpose, 2021) describes the Navy's then-current berthing-barge fleet: '13 of the service's current fleet of 18 were built between 1944 and 1946, back when lead paint and asbestos were industry standards.' APL-2 (built 1944-45 and continuously in service) is within the described cohort.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2021
- Population
- sailors berthed on 1944-46-era berthing barges (fleet context)
- Limitations
- Journalistic characterization of the fleet cohort, not a hull record: names no individual craft, cites no survey or materials document, and 'industry standards' phrasing is era shorthand rather than a documented material finding for this hull. Does not establish asbestos aboard APL-2.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-2-apl2-08
-
[9]Batch-2473 search ledger (this record): NavSource; NVR; Shipscribe; DVIDS; GAO PLRD-81-41; NHHC/DANFS; MARAD ShipHistory; CourtListener opinion searches; NARA record-group guides [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-2-apl2-01 through sl-uss-apl-2-apl2-13
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, or docketed case naming APL-2 was found in the public sources searched. CourtListener opinion-index searches: '"APL-2"' returned 21 hits - all name collisions (APL Co. Pte. Ltd. shipping line, OCR artifacts, ledger abbreviations); '"APL-2" asbestos' returned 1 hit (Hidalgo County v. Herrera, Tex. App. 2015) where 'APL-2' is a document artifact, not this hull; '"berthing barge"' returned 3 hits (a contract-appeal, a court-martial, and an FTCA case) - none asbestos, none naming APL-2. No DANFS entry exists. 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-built hull still in berthing service has necessarily been through repeated habitability modernizations whose materials records are not public, and no Navy asbestos-management disclosure for this craft was located. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility. RECAP docket-level search was not completed (fleet pacing limit) - see ledger sl-09.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-2-apl2-09
-
[10]Reconciliation across NVR ship detail (shipId 20), NavSource APL-2 page, and Shipscribe APL-2 class page (hull row + notes) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NVR milestone/program fields; NavSource build line; Shipscribe notes column
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Framing corrections: (a) Commissioning - secondary sources (e.g., Wikipedia infobox) list 'Commissioned 25 May 1945'; NavSource says 'delivered and placed in service' and the NVR commission field is blank - the craft was placed in service, never commissioned; the 'USS' prefix on this unnamed service craft is conventional. (b) 'Decommissioned January 1947' - Shipscribe's actual entry is 'in service in reserve by Jan 47' (reserve status, not decommissioning), and the craft is today active on the NVR. (c) Builder - sources variously list Puget Sound Navy Yard (keel yard, per NavSource/Shipscribe) or Everett Marine Ways Inc. (NVR builder field = completion contractor; award date 1945-04-05 matches Shipscribe's 'Everett Pacific SB ... contract 5 Apr 45' completion contract). All three statements reconcile: keel laid and launched at PSNY, completed at the Everett yard.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- correction
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1945-2026
- Limitations
- Resolves publication-level framing discrepancies (commissioned vs in-service; decommissioned vs in-service-in-reserve; builder vs completion contractor). The relationship between the 'Everett Marine Ways Inc.' name in NVR and the 'Everett Pacific Shipbuilding' name in NavSource/Shipscribe is not independently verified - treated as the same Everett completion yard on date/contract evidence only. No asbestos content.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-2-apl2-10
-
[11]NARA Guide to Federal Records - RG 19 (Bureau of Ships) and RG 181 (Naval Districts and Shore Establishments) record-group descriptions [other_primary]
- Locator
- https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html ; https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/181.html
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): NARA RG 19 (Records of the Bureau of Ships) - APL-class design plans, specifications, and BuShips correspondence may hold a materials/insulation specification for the APL-2 design; RG 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments) - Puget Sound Navy Yard construction/shop records (NARA Seattle) may hold hull-level build documentation for the 1944 construction. Modern path: COMPACFLT Berthing & Messing Program / NAVSEA PMS 300 maintenance and habitability records for this hull are not public.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1943-1945 records (build); program records undated
- Limitations
- Record-group 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-apl-2-apl2-11