Evidence
13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).
-
[1]research packet aq-packet.md [other_primary]
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS APL-31 (no name assigned; APLs of this block were unnamed)
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Evidence ID
- uss-apl-31-apl31-pkt-aq-packet-md
-
[2]NavSource Online, Service Ship Photo Archive - APL-31 [other_primary]
- Locator
- APL-31 entry: chronology block, 'Specifications' block, awards display, photo captions incl. NHHC UA-283, NHHC K-117518
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- APL-31: non-self-propelled barracks ship (NavSource styles it 'APL-17 Class'); built at Everett Pacific, Everett WA; laid down 1 Jun 1944; launched 30 Sep 1944; delivered and placed in service 14 Jun 1945; placed out of service, date unknown; struck from the Naval Register 1 August 2001 (page text - conflict with ShipScribe 2000 logged in gaps); final disposition 'reefed off the coast of New Jersey.' Spec block: 1,300 t light / 2,600 t full; length 261 ft; beam 49 ft; draft 8 ft 6 in lim; complement 5 officers + 66 enlisted; accommodations 6 officers + 583 enlisted; three diesel-drive 100 kW 450 V AC ship's-service generators; 1,000 bbl diesel. Awards display lists American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal. Photo table includes NHHC photo UA-283 (at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, 23 Apr 1947, with former Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes IX-25), NHHC photo (APL-31 and APL-32 at the Academy 26 Mar 1959), contributor photos at Naval Station Annapolis 1966 (moored stern-to-stern with APL-32; 'tower' for Chesapeake Bay distress watches), NHHC photo K-117518 (APL-31 alongside USS Oak Ridge ARDM-1 at Naval Station Rota, Spain, circa 1970s), and a pre-sinking photo of ex-APL-31 submitted via the COMPACFLT Fleet Berthing & Messing Program manager.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-2001
- 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 page expressly notes 'There is no DANFS History available for APL-31'; the auto-generated DANFS link target returns 404). The 2001 strike year conflicts with ShipScribe's 2000 - logged in gaps. Awards display is auto-generated and unverified for a noncommissioned craft. Establishes identity, construction, service placements, and disposition; contains no asbestos, materials, or condition information and supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-31-apl31-01
-
[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 31; disposal table row 31; Ship Notes 'APL-31' and 'APL-32'; Class Notes
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- ShipScribe APL-2 class tables and ship note corroborate and extend: APL-31 ordered ca. Apr 1944 from Everett Pacific SB (construction table: keel 1 Jun 44, launch 30 Sep 44, in-service 'Commiss.' column 14 Jun 45); ship note 'APL-31: Active at the U.S. Naval Academy as of Apr. 48. Transferred for use as fish reef 15 Jun 2001, sunk off Manasquan, N.J., 23 Jul 01'; disposal table: struck 1 Aug 00, disposal 15 Jun 01, fate 'Trf.' Sister note: 'APL-32 ... Joined APL-31 at Annapolis during the 1950s.' Class data: standard non-self-propelled 2,000-ton 260-ft Navy covered barges with a two-story barracks built on top; complement 71 + 583 troops; machinery none; original armament 4-20mm; program purpose floating barracks for repair-force personnel so tenders/repair ships could man machine tools three-shift (Auxiliary Vessels Board and BuShips recommendations Jun-Dec 1943).
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-2001
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation reproducing BuShips/Auxiliary Vessels Board and NHHC Ships Histories file records - corroborates NavSource construction dates independently and adds the Annapolis-active note and reef-transfer dates. Strike year '1 Aug 00' conflicts with NavSource '1 August 2001' - logged in gaps; the struck-then-transferred sequence (transfer 15 Jun 2001, sunk 23 Jul 2001) favors 2000. 'Commiss.' column header is a table convention for in-service dates on service craft (see correction row ev-12). No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-31-apl31-02
-
[4]Shipbuilding History, Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding yard page (emergency small shipyards) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Everett-Pacific yard table, hull 51 row; yard history paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- Shipbuilding History (Colton) Everett-Pacific yard list corroborates builder and hull: hull no. 51, 'APL 31,' US Navy, Barracks Barge, 1,300 t, 261 ft, delivery 14-Jun-45, disposition 'Reefed off New Jersey 2001.' Yard profile: Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company established 1942 with Navy-provided funds; bought 1944 by Pacific Car and Foundry (which was building barges at Renton, Seattle, and Tacoma plants); lease terminated 1949 and yard closed; site later used by Western Gear and is now part of Naval Station Everett.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-1945
- Population
- Everett-Pacific construction workforce, 1944
- Limitations
- Secondary compilation - corroborates builder, hull number (yard no. 51), delivery date, and reef disposition. No asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-31-apl31-03
-
[5]New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish and Wildlife, 'The Creation of the "Jack's Spot" Reef,' New Jersey Reef News 2002, pp. 1 and 7 (deposited: Rutgers NJ Environmental Digital Library, DOI 10.7282/T3WD4198) [other_primary]
- Locator
- NJ Reef News 2002 pp. 1 (lead article) and 7 (continuation) - full PDF retrieved via njscuba.net mirror (njscuba.net/wp-content/uploads/reefs/pdf/nj_reef_news-2002.pdf); authoritative deposit at rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/18618
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife's official newsletter documents the hull's disposal: APL-31 'was acquired by the New Jersey State Agency for Surplus Property from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard where it was mothballed'; in June 2001 moved to a commercial dock operated by Carbon Service Corporation, 'a contractor commissioned to prepare the APL-31 for sinking. Since the vessel has no engines or fuel tanks, clean up was limited to removing a small amount of floatable debris. After cleaning, the vessel was inspected by the Philadelphia District of the U.S. Coast Guard, which approved it as environmentally safe for sinking in the ocean. The primary tasks facing the contractor were to remove all doors and hatches and to cut numerous holes in watertight bulkheads and decks to facilitate flooding with water and purging of air.' On 23 Jul 2001, towed from Philadelphia down the Delaware River and up the coast, a joint State Police/Navy demolition team sank her with bow and stern charges on the Shark River Reef ~16 miles off Manasquan Inlet (~125 ft); she sank in ~13 minutes, resting with a hard starboard list; renamed 'Jack's Spot' in memory of Jack Meyer (chairman, NJ Marine Fisheries Council 1984-1998); at 261 ft and ~50 ft height, by volume the second-largest vessel sunk on NJ reef sites since the program began in 1984.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2001
- Population
- Carbon Service Corporation prep crew; USCG Philadelphia District inspectors; NJ State Police and Navy demolition team
- Limitations
- Official state-agency account of the hull's final preparation and sinking - ship-specific for the disposal event. On asbestos it is silent in both directions: the stated cleanup scope (floatable debris, door/hatch removal, flooding cuts) does not include or exclude ACM removal, and the USCG environmental-safety inspection is not described as an ACM survey. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not aboard, removed, or sunk with the hull.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-31-apl31-04
-
[6]NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife, Shark River Reef official map and reef-material log (nj.gov/dep/fgw/pdf/reefs/shark_river.pdf, map created Aug 2021) [other_primary]
- Locator
- shark_river.pdf reef-material table row 'Jack's Spot 21' - content verified via search-index snippet; direct fetch blocked (HTTP 403 Incapsula bot-wall)
- Finding type
- environmental_record
- Finding
- NJ DEP Division of Fish and Wildlife's official Shark River Reef map/log (August 2021 PDF) lists the hull as reef entry 21: "Jack's Spot" - '261' U.S. Navy Barracks Barge - "Jack's Spot" (APL-31),' sponsor Meyer Family, date 7/23/2001, position 40 06.67002N / 073 41.49000W - corroborating the reef name, sinking date, sponsor, and position reported in the Reef News article.
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- supporting
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2021 map (event 2001)
- Limitations
- Official NJ DEP listing of the reef deposit - content read from the indexed snippet because nj.gov serves an Incapsula 403 to automated fetches; a manual/browser pull may add detail. Contains no asbestos or materials content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-31-apl31-05
-
[7]NavSource APL-31 spec block (machinery section); GlobalSecurity.org APL type page (self-sufficiency and compartment description; CRAFT IDENTIFICATION DATA drawing table, dwg 1113310 for APL 2 and APL 17); ShipScribe class spec line 'Machinery: None' [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource 'Specifications'; GlobalSecurity APL page description paragraph + drawing table; ShipScribe class spec 'Machinery: None'
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- The APL-2-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 the NavSource spec block for this hull) plus habitability systems. GlobalSecurity's type description lists the self-sufficient classes (APL-2, APL-17, APL-41) as carrying generators, boilers (service/habitability boilers, not propulsion), refrigeration, and sewage plant, describes the compartment fit (wardroom, officers' mess, CPO berthing/mess, crew's quarters/mess, galley, bakery, laundry, sick bay; all compartments air-conditioned except storeroom), and lists NAVSEA Booklet of General Plans drawing 1113310 for both the APL-2 and APL-17 classes. 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 design
- Population
- Design crew ~71 (5-6 officers + 66 enlisted); berthed personnel up to 583 enlisted + 6 officers
- 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 1113310 is an archival lead, not retrieved.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-31-apl31-06
-
[8]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); Shipbuilding History Everett-Pacific yard page (yard dates/ownership) [other_primary]
- Locator
- Abstract and article record (PubMed PMID 3555021; publisher DOI page); shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencysmall/everettpac.htm
- 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-31 was built in 1944 at Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Everett WA - a wartime emergency yard established 1942 with Navy funds - 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 (Everett-Pacific, 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-31. Does not establish quantity, location, condition, individual exposure, or causation aboard this craft.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-31-apl31-07
-
[9]njscuba.net, 'APL-31' dive-site record (New Jersey Scuba Diving, Shark River Reef section) + navalmarinearchive.com auxiliaries list (corroborates 'Happy Acres' nickname) [other_primary]
- Locator
- APL-31 record page: spec block, history paragraph, wreck-condition paragraph
- Finding type
- vessel_history
- Finding
- njscuba.net dive record (secondary) adds wreck status and service color: sunk Monday 23 Jul 2001 on the Shark River Reef listing (page header text says 'Sea Girt Artificial Reef' - internal inconsistency; GPS 40 06.600N / 073 41.500W matches NJ DEP's Shark River position); depth 125 ft; 'lying on its starboard side and deteriorating quickly,' corrugated aluminum sheets shedding rivets; deck plans credited to Paul S. Embry and Capt. Steve Nagiewicz. Historical claims: built 'as a mobile hospital' for $1,842,000, postwar 'converted for use as a forward submarine support facility' with machine shop and accommodations for civilian contractors and off-duty submarine crews, nicknamed 'Happy Acres,' stationed at Rota Spain and Kings Bay GA 'through the late seventies,' donated via NJ State Agency for Surplus Property from the Philadelphia Naval Business Center (NAVINACTFLT).
- Verification
- partial
- Role
- context
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 2001-present (wreck); 1970s (service claims)
- Population
- Recreational divers (post-2001, context only); submarine-support population allegedly berthed at Rota/Kings Bay (unverified)
- Limitations
- Hobbyist dive compilation - reliable for wreck condition/orientation and GPS (which matches NJ DEP), but the historical color is unverified: 'mobile hospital' is inconsistent with the APL barracks designation (likely conflation), and the $1.842M cost, 'Happy Acres' nickname, and Kings Bay stationing have no located primary source. Rota placement is independently corroborated by NHHC photo K-117518. No asbestos content; supports no asbestos claim.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-31-apl31-08
-
[10]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for '"APL-31"', '"APL-31" asbestos' (authenticated via cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]
- Locator
- cl-auth-search.py results logged in search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-31-apl31-11 through -13
- Finding type
- litigation_documented
- Finding
- CourtListener authenticated sweeps 2026-09-26: '"APL-31"' opinion search returned 0 hits; '"APL-31" asbestos' opinion search returned 0 hits; '"APL-31"' docket search returned 5 hits, all name collisions - AIG Specialty Insurance v. XL Specialty Insurance (D. Alaska, 3:20-cv-00034, filed 2020), ACROTECH BIOPHARMA LLC v. Alembic Pharmaceuticals, Smartflash LLC v. Apple Inc. (E.D. Tex. patent), Brown v. United States (D. Mass., 1:04-cv-11924, filed 2004), Cloutier v. Trustees of Millbank Place Condominium Trust (D. Mass., 3:05-cv-30093, filed 2005) - none naming the vessel or involving asbestos/maritime subject matter.
- Verification
- verified
- Role
- negative_finding
- Documentation level
- ship_specific
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- sweep 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-31' is a collision-prone string (exhibit labels, pharma/patent identifiers) - each hit was individually screened and classified non-qualifying. A spaced-variant sweep ('"APL 31"') was attempted but deferred by fleet pacing; the hyphenated exact-string sweeps carry the sweep result.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-31-apl31-09
-
[11]Batch-2486 search ledger (this record): NHHC/DANFS (404), NVR, NARA deck-log list, NavalCoverMuseum, NavSource, ShipScribe, Shipbuilding History, GlobalSecurity, NJ DEP Reef News 2002 + Shark River reef log, njscuba.net, CourtListener sweeps [other_primary]
- Locator
- search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-31-apl31-01 through -16
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, plans-level materials statement, or docketed case naming APL-31 was found in the sources searched - no DANFS entry exists (history.navy.mil URL returns 404; NavSource expressly notes none available), NVR carries no retrievable record (post-1987 disposal drops from the live register; Wayback check blocked by Internet Archive outage), no APL-31 deck logs are digitized at NARA (the only 'APL' hit on the deck-log list is Mercer, APB/APL-39/IX-502), NavalCoverMuseum has no APL-31 page (consistent with a noncommissioned craft carrying no post office), the NavSource/ShipScribe/Shipbuilding History compilations and the NJ DEP reef publications contain no asbestos statement, and the CourtListener sweeps returned only name collisions (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 asbestos-containing insulation, panels, and deck coverings, and the hull's 56-year Navy career (1945-2001) spanned the asbestos-control era during which custody-phase records (overhaul/berthing-program maintenance files, transfer-condition surveys, USCG/NJ sinking-prep files) may exist outside public view. The NJ DEP account documents cleanup scope without an asbestos statement. Does not establish or defeat any exposure claim or legal eligibility.
- Atlas source
- true
- Evidence ID
- ev-uss-apl-31-apl31-10
-
[12]NavSource APL-31 entry (in-service phrasing) vs ShipScribe construction-table column convention ('Commiss.') and Wikipedia infobox label [other_primary]
- Locator
- NavSource chronology block; ShipScribe construction table header
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Commissioning-status correction: the batch metadata's 'USS' prefix, Wikipedia's 'Commissioned: 14 June 1945' infobox convention, and ShipScribe's 'Commiss.' column could imply a commissioned warship. NavSource's entry records 'Delivered and placed in service, 14 June 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 14 Jun 1945 in-service date itself is uncontested across 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-31-apl31-11
-
[13]GlobalSecurity APL page (NAVSEA drawing numbers); NJ DEP Reef News (prep-contractor and USCG inspection references); NARA RG 24 deck-log guidance; archives.gov deck-log online list (no APL-31 coverage) [other_primary]
- Locator
- archives.gov deck-log list (only 'APL' entry is Mercer APB/APL-39/IX-502); globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/apl.htm drawing table
- Finding type
- historical_record
- Finding
- Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room, reproduction order, FOIA, or manual pull; no spend authorized): (a) NAVSEA Booklet of General Plans drawing 1113310 - GlobalSecurity lists this drawing for both APL-2 and APL-17 classes; the plans booklet may carry materials/insulation callouts; (b) Carbon Service Corporation's 2001 prep contract scope and the USCG Philadelphia District inspection file for the sinking approval - the documents most likely to contain any hull-level hazmat statement (the NJ DEP newsletter summarizes the cleanup but not the contract); (c) NJ State Agency for Surplus Property transfer file for the 15 Jun 2001 acquisition (federal surplus-property transfer sometimes carries condition/hazmat declarations); (d) NARA RG 24 deck logs for APL-31 - not on the digitized deck-log list, textual reference at Archives II College Park; (e) BuShips contract records for the ca. Apr 1944 Everett-Pacific APL order (RG 19); (f) COMPACFLT Fleet Berthing & Messing Program records - the program that managed the craft at end of life per the NavSource photo credit; (g) Internet Archive Wayback capture of the pre-disposal NVR APL-31 detail page - check blocked by the 2026-09-26 IA outage.
- Verification
- unverified
- Role
- archival_lead
- Documentation level
- context_only
- Accessed
- 2026-09-26
- Study period
- 1944-2001 records
- Limitations
- Record-group and channel mapping only - no box-level retrieval or FOIA request 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-31-apl31-12