USS APL-3

Evidence

11 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-11).

1. [1]research packet ap-packet.md (3 sources cited) [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: APL-3 (no ship name assigned)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-apl-3-apl3-pkt-ap-packet-md

2. [2]Shipscribe, USS APL-2 class page (design description and class notes compiled from NHHC Ships Histories files) [other_primary]

   Locator

   APL-2 class header data (design 'Navy APL-2', displacement, dimensions, complement '71 + 583 troops', machinery 'None') and Class Notes paragraphs on APL 2-13 program origin

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   Design/era inference for the hull type: APL-3 was built to the Navy APL-2 design - a standard non-self-propelled 2,000-ton, 260-foot covered barge fitted with a two-story barracks instead of the usual warehouse, intended to house repair-force personnel on a three-shift basis. WWII-era Navy accommodation and service-craft construction of this period commonly employed asbestos-containing thermal insulation, deck and floor coverings, joiner bulkhead materials, electrical insulation, gaskets, and packing. No materials manifest or outfitting specification for this hull was located.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1945 design/build era

   Population

   Construction trades (Navy Yard Puget Sound, Bremerton WA, 1944; Everett Pacific Shipbuilding, Everett WA, 1945); embarked barracks population (up to ~583 enlisted + 6 officers by design) and ship's company of 71

   Limitations

   Class/design documentation and era inference, not a hull record - the source does not state asbestos content for this or any APL hull. Asbestos presence aboard this craft is era inference, not ship-proven; does not establish quantity, location, present-day presence, individual exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-3-apl3-01

3. [3]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 1944 steel service craft was built.

   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 craft and does not establish that asbestos was or remains aboard, nor quantity, location, condition, exposure, or causation.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-3-apl3-02

4. [4]Shipscribe, USS APL-2 class page - construction table row for APL-3, disposition table row, and per-hull ship note [other_primary]

   Locator

   Construction table row '3 | APL-3 | 7 Oct 43 | NYd Puget Sound | 31 May 44 | 3 Aug 44 | 30 Jul 45'; disposition row '3 | APL-3 | -- | 1 Jun 73 | 6 Nov 74 | Sold'; ship note 'To Everett Pacific SB for completion, contract 5 Apr 45. In service in reserve by Jul 46. Merc. HT-II ca. 1974.'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Construction and identity: APL-3 was ordered 7 Oct 1943 and keel-laid at Navy Yard Puget Sound 31 May 1944, launched 3 Aug 1944; the incomplete barge went to Everett Pacific Shipbuilding for completion under a contract dated 5 Apr 1945, and Shipscribe's construction table carries 30 Jul 45 in its commissioning column. Disposition table: stricken 1 Jun 73, disposal 6 Nov 74, fate 'Sold.' Ship note: 'In service in reserve by Jul 46. Merc. HT-II ca. 1974.' Class data: displacement 1,300 t light / 2,600 t full load; 261.2 ft oa x 49.2 ft x 8.5 ft full; complement 71 + 583 troops; machinery: none; original armament 4-20mm.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1943-1974

   Population

   Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Everett Pacific Shipbuilding construction workforce, 1944-1945

   Limitations

   Authoritative compiled construction record (Shipscribe tables are built from NHHC Ships Histories files including BuShips/Auxiliary Vessels Board records). The 30 Jul 45 commissioning-column value reads as the delivery/in-service date for an uncommissioned craft and conflicts with NavSource's 30 Jun 45 delivery - logged in correction row. 'Merc. HT-II' merchant-barge disposition conflicts with NavSource's 'sold for scrapping' framing - logged in correction row. Establishes identity, construction, and custody only; contains no asbestos or materials information and supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-3-apl3-03

5. [5]NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive, APL-3 page (navsource.net/archives/09/71/7103.htm) [other_primary]

   Locator

   APL-3 main page: chronology lines, specifications block, two photo-caption entries (1967, 1972), awards ribbon display, DANFS-absence notice

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Service and disposal summary per NavSource: laid down 31 May 1944 at Navy Yard Puget Sound WA; launched 3 Aug 1944; delivered 30 June 1945; 'placed in service, date unknown'; 'placed out of service, date unknown'; 'struck from the Naval Register, date unknown'; final disposition 'sold for scrapping, 1 November 1974, by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS)'. Specifications: displacement 1,300 t lt / 2,660 t fl; 261 ft x 49 ft 2 in x 8 ft 6 in; crew accommodations 6 officers + 66 enlisted; troop accommodations 583 enlisted; three diesel-driven 100 kW 450V A.C. ship's-service generators; fuel 1,000 bbls diesel. Photo captions document her in the Mare Island Reserve Fleet June 1967 (inboard of USS Vanderburgh APB-48; photo MINSY 79270-9-67 from Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum) and moored at the Mare Island Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility 23 May 1972 (with ex-USS Markab AR-23 and ex-USS Nereus AS-17). Ribbon display credits American Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal. NavSource expressly notes 'There is no DANFS history for APL-3.'

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Population

   Ship's company (66 enlisted + 6 officers) and berthed personnel during 1945-46 active service; reserve-fleet caretaker population at Mare Island 1946-1974

   Limitations

   Compiled photo-archive record; NavSource is a secondary compilation and its '30 June 1945' delivery conflicts with NVR's 07/30/1945 - logged in correction row. Photo captions are contributor-supplied but are dated documentary photographs. No asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-3-apl3-04

6. [6]Naval Vessel Register (nvr.navy.mil), SHIPSDETAIL APL 3 - Wayback Machine capture 2017-01-26 (live NVR now redirects to Navy SSO) [other_primary]

   Locator

   NVR APL 3 detail page: UIC/class/status block, builder line, milestone-dates table, propulsion type, custodian, 'Last Updated: 09/11/2000'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Naval Vessel Register entry for 'NO NAME (APL 3)': UIC 01623; class 'APL 2'; type BARRACKS CRAFT (N-S-P); status 'Disposed of, by Navy Sale' with date status changed 11/01/1974; builder 'Everett Marine Ways Inc.'; award date 04/05/1945 (the Everett completion contract); keel 05/31/1944; launch 08/03/1944; delivery date 07/30/1945; commission, decommission, inactivation, and stricken dates all blank; propulsion type 'none'; post-disposal custodian category 'Schools, Organizations and Private Enterprises'; all physical-characteristic fields blank; record last updated 09/11/2000.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1974 (register data updated through 2000)

   Limitations

   Official register entry but skeletal - all dimension, displacement, commission, and stricken fields are blank; the register's 'NO NAME' entry confirms the craft was officially un-named and never commissioned. Builder 'Everett Marine Ways Inc.' differs from Shipscribe's 'NYd Puget Sound' construction credit - reconciled via the 5 Apr 45 completion contract, logged in correction row. No asbestos or materials information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-3-apl3-05

7. [7]NavalCoverMuseum wiki, 'APL 3' - Ship Name and Designation History; Postmarks (Post Office Established 1 December 1944 - Disestablished 27 May 1946) [museum_official]

   Locator

   Designation history table; postmark table (Locy Type 2z 1945-11-29; Type P 1946-02-17); 'Other Information' awards line

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Documentary postal record: a post office was established aboard APL-3 on 1 December 1944 - seven months before the NVR delivery date, consistent with a crew aboard during completion - and disestablished 27 May 1946. Locy postmark record includes a 2z cancel dated 1945-11-29 and a Type P cancel dated 1946-02-17, both official mail; a 1945-dated covers page exists. NavalCoverMuseum's designation history carries delivery 30 June 1945 and 'scrapped 1 November 1974.' Its awards line credits the American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and World War II Victory Medal.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Population

   Crew aboard during the postal period 1 Dec 1944 - 27 May 1946

   Limitations

   Museum-compiled chronology; the post-office dates are documentary (cancel record) while the delivery/scrapped dates are compiled claims matching NavSource. The Asiatic-Pacific Medal credit conflicts with NavSource's ribbon display, which omits it - logged in correction row. No asbestos information; supports no asbestos claim.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-3-apl3-06

8. [8]Batch-2484 search ledger (this record): NavSource APL-3; Shipscribe APL-2 class page; NavalCoverMuseum; NVR via Wayback; NHHC DANFS probe; NARA SL44; CourtListener authenticated searches [other_primary]

   Locator

   search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-3-apl3-01 through -10

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, materials manifest, or docketed case naming APL-3 was found in the sources searched. No DANFS entry exists (NavSource notice; NHHC URL probe 404). NARA Special List 44 (digitized Navy logbook inventory) lists several APL craft (APL-8, -9, -10, -12, -14, -15, -17, -19, -21, -29, -30, -42, APLP-32) but no APL-3 entry. The craft left Navy custody in November 1974, before the Navy's late-1970s asbestos-control programs and before NESHAP demolition rules, so no U.S.-regulated abatement record was expected.

   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 steel accommodation barge is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation, deck coverings, and joiner materials. Does not establish presence or absence; does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-3-apl3-07

9. [9]NVR APL 3 detail (Wayback 2017-01-26) vs Shipscribe APL-2 construction/disposition/ship-note rows vs NavSource APL-3 page vs NavalCoverMuseum APL-3 page [other_primary]

   Locator

   Cross-source comparison of builder, delivery, stricken, disposal, awards, and status fields

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   Source discrepancies resolved or logged: (a) Builder-of-record - Shipscribe and NavSource credit Navy Yard Puget Sound (keel/launch site) while NVR names 'Everett Marine Ways Inc.'; reconciled by Shipscribe's ship note and NVR's 04/05/1945 award date, which together document that the hull was laid and launched at Puget Sound and completed at the Everett yard under the 5 Apr 1945 contract - the registers credit different construction stages under variant yard names (Everett Pacific SB vs Everett Marine Ways). (b) Delivery date - NavSource/NavalCoverMuseum '30 June 1945' vs NVR '07/30/1945' and Shipscribe '30 Jul 45'; the July date is corroborated by two sources and adopted, June logged as variant (possible month transposition). (c) Stricken date - Shipscribe '1 Jun 73' is the only dated source; NavSource 'unknown' and NVR blank. (d) Final fate - NavSource 'sold for scrapping 1 Nov 1974 by DRMS' and NVR 'Disposed of, by Navy Sale 11/01/1974' vs Shipscribe disposal '6 Nov 74' fate 'Sold' plus ship note 'Merc. HT-II ca. 1974' (merchant barge); sale is agreed, scrapping-vs-merchant-reuse is unresolved - sisters APL-8/-9/-10 are recorded in secondary compilations (citing USCG Merchant Vessels of the United States, 1976) as sold into merchant barge service (MLC-260/261/263) in the same disposal window. (e) Awards - NavSource ribbon display omits the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal that NavalCoverMuseum claims. (f) Status framing - NVR 'NO NAME' entry with blank commission date confirms never-commissioned service craft; secondary sources variously print 'USS APL-3' and a 'commissioned' date that actually reflects delivery.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   correction

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1974

   Limitations

   Resolves or logs publication-level discrepancies between compiled sources; does not change identity. Whether 'Everett Marine Ways Inc.' (NVR) and 'Everett Pacific SB' (Shipscribe) are legally the same Everett yard is probable but not established by a located source; whether HT-II was a working merchant barge or a pre-scrap holding identity is unresolved.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-3-apl3-08

10. [10]CourtListener API v4 search (type=o, type=r), authenticated, queries run 2026-09-26 via cl-auth-search.py [court_record]

    Locator

    Zero-hit envelopes for '"APL-3" asbestos', '"USS APL-3"' (both indexes); collision-hit sets for bare '"APL-3"' (10 opinions; 88 dockets/105 documents, top-20 inspected)

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener authenticated API v4 sweeps run 2026-09-26: '"APL-3" asbestos' and '"USS APL-3"' returned zero opinion hits (count 0 each); '"USS APL-3"' returned zero dockets (count 0). Bare '"APL-3"' opinion sweep returned 10 hits, all identifier collisions - a tribal-court docket number ('No. APL-03-03', Sac & Fox Nation 2003), pipeline/exhibit identifier strings (Unocal Pipeline v. BP Pipelines, Tex. App. 2015; Matson Navigation v. DOT, D.D.C. 2022 - 'APL' strings incidental in a maritime administrative case), 'Animal Protection League' (Ohio App. 2016), American President Lines references, and 19th-/early-20th-century cases predating the vessel. Bare '"APL-3"' docket sweep returned 88 dockets / 105 documents, top-20 inspected: prisoner civil-rights, bankruptcy, Apple securities, marine-contract, and employment dockets where 'APL' is an acronym or clerk-stamp artifact (e.g. 'apl 3:02-cv' Hartford clerk stamp, 'APL' = American President Lines / Applied Physics Lab); zero asbestos, mesothelioma, navy, or ship-context keyword hits in the returned set. No qualifying asbestos litigation, other litigation naming this hull, or genuine name-collision naming the Navy craft was located.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    2026-09-26

    Limitations

    No qualifying asbestos litigation, other litigation naming the craft, or vessel name collisions located - meaningful because the hull-designation string 'APL-3' collides only with acronym/docket-stamp noise, none maritime-asbestos. Docket-index hits were classified from the top-20 ranked set and keyword scan (88 total not exhaustively read) - a residual discovery limitation, not a clean exhaustive negative.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-apl-3-apl3-09

11. [11]NARA record-group guidance (RG 24 Navy deck logs and logbook series); NHHC Ships Histories Branch files; USCG Merchant Vessels of the United States registry; Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum photo archive [other_primary]

    Locator

    NARA logbook guidance; SL44 inventory negative for APL-3; USCG MVUS registry path for HT-II

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - no spend authorized): Navy deck logs for APL-3 beyond the SL44 digitized inventory (SL44 itself carries no APL-3 entry; post-1947 logbook series are the lead); Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Everett Pacific construction/contract files behind the 5 Apr 1945 completion contract; Mare Island Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility berthing records for the 1946-1974 layup; the NHHC Ships Histories Branch source file for APL-3 (underlying Shipscribe's row) for the sale record behind 'Sold'; the DRMS November 1974 disposal-sale record; U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Vessels of the United States documentation for merchant barge HT-II (which would resolve the scrapped-vs-merchant fate conflict, as it did for sisters MLC-260/261/263); the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum file for photo MINSY 79270-9-67.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1944-1974 records

    Limitations

    Record-path 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-3-apl3-10