Evidence
14 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-14).
-
[1]research packet ap-packet.md (4 sources cited) [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: APL-27 (no ship name assigned)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-apl-27-apl27-pkt-ap-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive - APL-27 [other_primary]
- Locator
- APL-27 entry: chronology block, Vietnam campaign table, awards display, personnel-awards block, 'Specifications As Built' block, photo caption
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- APL-27 (no prior designation): laid down 10 Aug 1944 at Tampa Ship Building Co., Tampa FL; launched 15 Oct 1944; delivered and placed in service 9 Apr 1945; deactivated and placed in reserve 1945-46 at Seattle; reactivated fall 1966; during the Vietnam War assigned to NSA Saigon and NSA Danang with a 14-campaign participation table (Phase II 22 Feb-31 May 1967 through Vietnam Ceasefire 30 Mar 1972-28 Jan 1973 as displayed); placed out of service, date and location unknown; transferred to South Vietnam March 1971 as HQ-9051; struck from the Naval Register 1 Nov 1971; captured by North Vietnam April 1975; final disposition fate unknown. Spec block: 1,300 t light / 2,600 t full; 261 ft; beam 49 ft; draft 8'6" lim; complement 5 officers + 66 enlisted; accommodations 6 officers + 583 enlisted; armament 'as built: none', Vietnam-era four .50 cal MG + two 80mm mortars + four .30 cal MG on 02 deck corners; three diesel-drive 100 kW 450 V AC generators; 1,000 bbl diesel. Awards display: Navy Unit Commendation; American Campaign Medal; WWII Victory Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam Service Medal (14); RVN Gallantry Cross unit citation; RVN Campaign Medal; personnel awards Purple Heart x2 (Brooks, Willie L. CS3, 18 Dec 1966; Gulley, William J. SA, 11 Jun 1970). Photo: APL-27 moored in South Vietnamese waters 1967 (courtesy MRFA). Explicit note: 'There is no DANFS history currently available for APL-27.'
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- 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. The 14-campaign table extends to Jan 1973, after the Mar 1971 transfer and Nov 1971 strike - internally inconsistent (see gaps). '80MM mortars' printed as shown; likely 81mm in practice - not resolvable. 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-27-apl27-01
-
[3]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 27; disposal table row 27; Ship Notes 'APL-27'; Class Notes (design description; 'APL 17-31' program paragraph incl. Dravo cancellation)
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe APL-2 class page corroborates independently: APL-27 ordered 5 Apr 44 (Tampa SB), keel 10 Aug 44, launch 15 Oct 44, 'Commiss.' 9 Apr 45; ship note 'Earlier order: Dravo, Pittsburgh (3 Feb 44, canc. 23 Mar 44). Out of service in reserve by Jan 47. Sold to South Vietnam Mar 71 as HQ 9051. Captured by North Vietnam Apr 75.'; disposal table: struck 1 Nov 71, disposal Mar 71, fate 'Trf.' 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. Program history (APL 17-31 paragraph): APL 27-29 were originally ordered from Dravo, Pittsburgh on 3 Feb 44, cancelled there 23 Mar 44, and reassigned to Tampa - explaining why this craft carries no YF number.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation reproducing BuShips/Auxiliary Vessels Board records - dates corroborate NavSource independently and supply the Dravo-order history NavSource lacks. 'Sold to South Vietnam' vs NavSource 'transferred' - wording variance carried verbatim (sale vs transfer basis undocumented). No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-27-apl27-02
-
[4]Shipbuilding History (Tim Colton), Tampa Shipbuilding (TASCO) yard construction list [other_primary]
- Locator
- TASCO hull list, hull 143 row
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Shipbuilding History (Colton) Tampa Shipbuilding (TASCO) yard hull list records yard hull 143 as 'APL 27', owner U.S. Navy, delivered 9-Apr-45, disposition 'To Vietnam 1971 as HQ-9051, captured by North Vietnam Apr. 1975' - a third independent concurrence on builder, delivery date, RVN transfer designation, and 1975 capture.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1975
- Limitations
- Secondary yard-history compilation; agrees with NavSource and ShipScribe on all overlapping facts. Contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-27-apl27-03
-
[5]OPNAVNOTE 1650 (N09B1, 9 Mar 2001), Master List of Unit Awards and Campaign Medals, USS Ships enclosure - APL 27 row [other_primary]
- Locator
- Enclosure list, USS Ships section, '* ONE AWARD FOR MULTIPLE DATES' page ~13, APL 27 entry
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- The official CNO master list of unit awards (OPNAVNOTE 1650, 9 Mar 2001, 'Unit Awards and Campaign Participation - USS Ships', OP-09B33 as of 29 Jan 2001) lists APL 27 with two awards: NU (Navy Unit Commendation) 01-JUL-1969 to 30-JUN-1971 - the Naval Support Activity Saigon unit commendation - and RG (Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross unit citation) 01-MAR-1970 to 21-NOV-1970. No campaign-participation rows appear for APL-27 in the master list.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1969-1971 award periods; document 2001
- Population
- APL-27 crew attached during award periods
- Limitations
- Official OPNAV document retrieved via a third-party mirror (usscoralsea.net), not navy.mil - text extracted and read verbatim. Confirms the NUC and RVN Gallantry Cross unit award periods only; it does NOT corroborate NavSource's 14-campaign Vietnam Service Medal display (three listed campaigns postdate the Mar 1971 transfer - see gaps). An award document contains no asbestos information.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-27-apl27-04
-
[6]NavSource APL-27 personnel-awards block; Virtual Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial database entries for Brooks (13E/57) and Gulley (W9/43), compiled from DoD casualty records [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource awards block; virtualwall.org/db/BrooksWL03a.htm and virtualwall.org/dg/GulleyWJ01a.htm
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Two APL-27 crew members were killed during the Vietnam period: CS3 Willie L. Brooks on 18 December 1966 and SA William J. Gulley on 11 June 1970 (NavSource personnel-awards block: 'Purple Heart (2 KIA)'). The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall records corroborate assignment: Willie Lewis Brooks, PO3, NAVSUPACT SAIGON, APL-27, USNAVFORV, Columbus GA (1942-01-21 to 1966-12-18), Panel 13E Line 57; William Jeffery Gulley, SA, NAVSUPACT SAIGON, APL-27, USNAVFORV, Riverton UT (1950-01-01 to 1970-06-11), Panel W9 Line 43.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1966, 1970
- Population
- APL-27 ship's crew, Vietnam period
- Limitations
- Two-source concurrence on names, rates, dates, and unit; Virtual Wall is a volunteer memorial compilation of official casualty records (panel locations verified against the published Wall index), not a primary casualty report - cause and circumstances of death are not stated in either source. Establishes that crew aboard this craft died in the theater period; says nothing about asbestos exposure or causation.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-27-apl27-05
-
[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 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-27 was built in 1944-45 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, 1944-45); 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-27. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation aboard this craft.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-27-apl27-06
-
[8]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-27 left U.S. custody by transfer to the Republic of Vietnam Navy in March 1971 - before the documented Navy asbestos-control program era and before federal NESHAP asbestos rules - and was never a U.S. disposal candidate afterward (captured by North Vietnam April 1975), so no Navy-custody abatement or U.S. demolition-phase 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 transfer
- Population
- Navy shipyard workers (program context)
- Limitations
- Program-level documentation bounding what records could exist - not hull-specific. Establishes expected absence of a U.S. abatement record given the 1971 foreign transfer; does not establish presence or absence of ACM aboard, and says nothing about South Vietnamese or North Vietnamese handling of any material.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-27-apl27-07
-
[9]NavSource APL-27 spec block (machinery section); ShipScribe class spec ('Machinery: None'); GlobalSecurity.org APL type page (self-sufficiency description; NAVSEA BoGP drawing table listing 1113310 for APL 17) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 'Specifications'; ShipScribe class header block; GlobalSecurity APL page - 'Craft Identification Data' drawing table + 'Auxiliary Machinery and Fluid Systems' sections
- 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 V AC units per NavSource spec block) plus habitability systems. Secondary type documentation (GlobalSecurity APL page) describes APL classes 2, 17, and 41 as self-sufficient, carrying generators, boilers (service boilers for steam/hot water), refrigeration, and sewage plant, with air-conditioned compartments, and lists NAVSEA Booklet of General Plans drawing 1113310 for the APL-17 class. Asbestos-relevant plant aboard this craft type is therefore confined to habitability/utility systems and construction materials - no main steam system, propulsion boilers, turbines, or engine-room insulation train existed.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- class_or_era
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-45 design; 1966-71 in-service configuration
- Population
- Crew 5 officers + 66 enlisted design (NavSource); 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 - 'boilers' refers to habitability service boilers and is unverified against class plans; NAVSEA drawing 1113310 is an archival lead, not retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-27-apl27-08
-
[10]Mobile Riverine Force Association (mrfa.org): NSA Saigon NUC 'Citation 10' page with unit list; NSA Danang and NSA Saigon unit lists; APL-26 history page [other_primary]
- Locator
- mrfa.org citation-10 unit list ('APL-27 | 1 Jul 69 - 30 Jun 71'); mrfa.org fallen-brothers NSA Danang + NSA Saigon lists (both list APL-27); mrfa.org/us-navy/us-navy-mobile-riverine-force/apl-26/
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Mobile Riverine Force Association pages document APL-27's Vietnam assignment independently of NavSource: the NSA Saigon unit list and the NSA Danang unit list both include APL-27, and MRFA's reproduction of the NSA Saigon Navy Unit Commendation citation (period 16 Mar 1966-30 Jun 1971, unit list showing 'APL-27 | 1 Jul 69 - 30 Jun 71') matches the OPNAVNOTE 1650 NUC entry. Sister-ship context: MRFA's APL-26 history describes that sister brought out of mothballs at Seattle, 'modernized for service in Vietnam' in fall 1966, towed via Subic Bay, arriving Vung Tau 22 Feb 1967, then serving as TF-117 Mobile Riverine Force hotel barge - including 'two boilers for steam and hot water,' evaporators, and air conditioning aboard that craft.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1966-1971
- Population
- APL-27 crew and berthed riverine-force personnel, 1966-1971
- Limitations
- MRFA is a veterans' association site; the unit lists and reproduced official citation text corroborate OPNAVNOTE 1650 and NavSource rather than stand alone. The APL-26 narrative describes the sister craft, not APL-27 - carried as class/era context for the reactivation-and-modernization pattern, not as evidence about this hull's refit scope. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-27-apl27-09
-
[11]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for 'APL-27', '"APL-27" asbestos', 'HQ-9051', 'HQ 9051' (authenticated via cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py results logged in search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-27-apl27-08 through -12
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener authenticated sweeps completed 2026-09-26: 'APL-27' opinions returned 2 hits, both name collisions on the reporter abbreviation 'Apl. 27' (April 27) inside older opinions (Hallenbeck v. Directors of Village of Saugerties, N.Y. App. Div. 1898; Padgett v. Seaboard Air Line Ry., S.C. 1914); '"APL-27" asbestos' returned 0; 'HQ-9051' returned 0; 'HQ 9051' returned 0; 'APL-27' dockets returned 33 hits, all individually screened and incidental - Apple Inc. litigation, APL Co. Pte. Ltd./American President Lines maritime cases, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, American Pallet Leasing, and unrelated string matches. No qualifying asbestos litigation - or any litigation - naming the hull or its HQ-9051 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-27' is a high-collision string (reporter abbreviation 'Apl.', APL shipping line, Applied Physics Lab, American Pallet Leasing) - all hits were individually screened and classified non-qualifying, none ambiguous.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-27-apl27-10
-
[12]Batch-2481 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (404), NVR, NARA deck-log list and SL44, MARAD ShipHistory, NavSource, ShipScribe, Shipbuilding History, OPNAVNOTE 1650, MRFA, Virtual Wall, GlobalSecurity, CourtListener sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-27-apl27-01 through -17
- 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 captured 1975 - none exists), or litigation naming APL-27 or HQ-9051 was found in the sources searched - no DANFS entry exists, NVR excludes pre-1987 disposals, no APL deck logs are digitized at NARA and Special List 44 lists no APL vessels, 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 1944-45 accommodation barge is era-consistent with ACM in construction and habitability materials, and the 1966 reactivation plus 1971 foreign transfer mean no U.S.-custody 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-27-apl27-11
-
[13]NavSource APL-27 entry (in-service phrasing) vs ShipScribe construction-table column convention ('Commiss.') [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource chronology block; ShipScribe construction table header
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Commissioning-status correction: secondary sources print 'commissioned' for APL-27's 9 Apr 1945 entry into service (ShipScribe construction table 'Commiss.' column convention). NavSource's entry - reflecting service-craft practice - reads 'Delivered and placed in service, 9 April 1945.' 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
- 1945
- Limitations
- Terminology correction only - the 9 Apr 1945 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-27-apl27-12
-
[14]NARA Navy deck-log online list (no APL entries) + Special List 44 (no APL coverage) + VA-era digitization notice; 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; VA batch-processing notice on same page); special-list-44-named (no APL-27); globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/apl.htm drawing table (1113310 = APL 17 class)
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room or reproduction order; no spend authorized): (a) NARA RG 24 deck logs for APL-27 covering 1945-46 and 1966-71 - Vietnam-era logs were scanned under the VA partnership for the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 and NARA is releasing them in batches, so logs for this craft may exist in catalog backlog even though none appear on the current digitized list; (b) NAVSEA Booklet of General Plans drawing 1113310 (APL-17 class, per GlobalSecurity listing) - the plans booklet is the document most likely to carry materials/insulation callouts for the type; (c) BuShips contract records for the Dravo, Pittsburgh order of 3 Feb 44 (cancelled 23 Mar 44) and its reassignment to Tampa - RG 19; (d) NSA Saigon and NSA Danang command histories (OPNAV 5750 series) for the craft's detachment and mooring history 1966-71.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1971 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. The Vietnam-era digitization backlog means absence from the online list does not prove absence of logs in custody. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-27-apl27-13