USS APL-33

Evidence

13 evidence entries recorded; each entry has a stable permalink (#ev-1 … #ev-13).

1. [1]research packet aq-packet.md [other_primary]

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Identity packet verdict: VERIFIED — real identity: USS APL-33 (unnamed)

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Evidence ID

   uss-apl-33-apl33-pkt-aq-packet-md

2. [2]ShipScribe (Stephen S. Roberts), 'USS APL-2 Class' - construction and disposition tables compiled from official U.S. Navy ship records (Ships' Data Book / NVR-derived), class notes, and per-hull ship notes [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe.com/usnaux/APL/APL02.html construction table row 33; disposition table row 33; ship note APL-33; class notes 'APL 32-43'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   Construction table: APL-33 ordered 22 Jun 44, builder Navy Yard Boston, keel 18 Nov 44, launched 1 Jan 45, in service ('Commiss.' column) 5 Apr 45. Disposition table: decommissioned 12 Apr 46, struck 1 May 46, disposal 7 Jun 46, fate 'Dest.' Ship note: 'Completed 4 Apr 45, delivered and placed in service 5 Apr 45. Grounded in typhoon, Okinawa, 9 Oct 45, refloated 24 Nov 45, out of service 12 Apr 46, and destroyed (towed to sea and sunk) 7 Jun 46.' Class notes: APLs were standard non-self-propelled 2,000-ton 260-foot Navy covered barges with a two-story barracks superstructure, 'Machinery: None'; the APL 32-43 group (12 APLs) was directed by CNO on 11 Mar 44 as auxiliary tonnage of the follow-on landing craft program, approved by SecNav 13 Mar 44; Boston Navy Yard built APL 32-34 of that group (ordered 22 Jun 44).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Limitations

   Secondary compilation by a recognized Navy shipbuilding historian reproducing official record-group data; consistent with the NPS Charlestown dataset (identical keel/launch/in-service dates) and the NHHC casualty listing (refloat 11/24/45). The 'Commiss.' column heading is conventional shorthand - APLs were placed in service under officers-in-charge, not commissioned (see correction row). No asbestos, materials, or insulation content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-33-apl33-01

3. [3]National Park Service, 'Ships Built by the Charlestown Navy Yard' dataset (Boston National Historical Park Preservation Specialist Stephen P. Carlson; from his Charlestown Navy Yard historic resource study) - downloadable CSV 'CNYServiceCraft-WebResearch' service-craft table [nps]

   Locator

   nps.gov article + CSV nri-CNYServiceCraft-WebResearch row 'No Name / Barracks Ship / APL-33'

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The NPS Charlestown Navy Yard construction dataset lists APL-33 under the 'No Name' convention: Type 'Barracks Ship', hull APL-33, keel laid 1944 Nov 18, launched 1945 Jan 1, commissioned-column entry '1945 Apr 5', fate 'Stricken 1946'. The dataset's informal-nickname footnote for the Boston-built barracks barges ('The New Yorker, Biltmore, and Statler, respectively') is attached to APL-11, APL-12, and APL-32 only - APL-33 carries no nickname.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Limitations

   Authoritative NPS compilation from NVR and yard records; 'commissioned' column is the dataset's convention - the correct status for this craft is 'placed in service' (see correction row). Records strike year but not the towed-and-sunk disposal event. No asbestos, materials, or insulation content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-33-apl33-02

4. [4]Naval Historical Center (now NHHC), 'Typhoons and Hurricanes: Pacific Typhoon at Okinawa, October 1945' - reproducing the extract on Typhoon 'Louise' from the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas report on the Surrender and Occupation of Japan, including Appendix III 'Typhoon Damage at Okinawa' vessel listing [nhhc_danfs]

   Locator

   Appendix III 'Typhoon Damage at Okinawa' table, APL 33 row (naval-history FAQ faq102-6, Wayback 20001204035500)

   Finding type

   vessel_history

   Finding

   The CINCPAC report's Appendix III vessel-casualty listing for Typhoon Louise (9 October 1945, Buckner Bay, Okinawa) records: 'APL 33 - Refloated 11/24/45.' The report narrative documents the storm's severity (steady 100-knot winds with gusts to 120, 968.5 mb minimum, 30-35 ft seas in the bay) and fleet-wide toll (12 ships sunk, 222 grounded, 32 damaged beyond ship's-force repair; 36 dead, 47 missing, ~100 seriously injured). Four APLs are listed: APL 12 refloated 10/25, APL 13 grounded and decommissioned 11/23, APL 14 grounded and recommended for stripping, APL 33 refloated 11/24.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   ship_specific

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1945-10-09 to 1945-11-24

   Population

   Ship's company (~71) and any berthed personnel aboard at grounding

   Limitations

   Official Navy-published primary report (CINCPAC Surrender and Occupation report, Annex A). Lists the hull by number and records refloat date only - no damage detail specific to this hull and no personnel information for APL-33 (casualty figures are storm-wide). Live NHHC URL (history.navy.mil/faqs/faq102-6.htm) returns 404 - accessed via Wayback capture 2000-12-04; canonical citation retained. No asbestos content.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-33-apl33-03

5. [5]ShipScribe APL-2 class data (design description, Machinery 'None', complement, armament) and GlobalSecurity.org APL type page (self-sufficiency description, compartment list, NAVSEA Booklet of General Plans drawing table) applied to this documented class member [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipscribe.com APL02 class data block (Machinery: None) and class notes; globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/apl.htm principal-characteristics and compartment tables

   Finding type

   asbestos_application

   Finding

   The documented APL-2 design - a non-self-propelled welded-steel covered barge with a two-story barracks deckhouse, machinery 'None', ship's-service power from three diesel-driven 100 kW 450 V AC generators (1,000 bbl diesel capacity), and principal compartments including wardroom, messes, berthing, galley, bakery, laundry, and sick bay with all compartments air-conditioned - defines what could and could not have been aboard: no boilers, steam turbines, or steam distribution system, and therefore none of the boiler/turbine insulation or steam-line lagging that dominate asbestos profiles on powered hulls. Any asbestos aboard would have been confined to era-standard items such as generator exhaust lagging, gaskets and packing, electrical/wiring insulation, pipe covering on heating and plumbing runs, deck coverings, and building-type insulation or fireproofing in the barracks structure.

   Verification

   inferred

   Role

   supporting

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1946

   Population

   Boston Navy Yard construction trades (Nov 1944-Apr 1945); ship's company ~71 and berthed personnel up to ~589 (Apr-Oct 1945); salvage personnel at Okinawa (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

   Limitations

   Inference from documented class design plus era practice - no material specification, survey, or as-built record for APL-33 was located. Does not establish that asbestos was or was not aboard, nor quantity, location, condition, or any individual exposure. GlobalSecurity's 'boilers' detail (service/heating boilers) is unverified against class plans; the absence of a propulsion plant narrows but does not eliminate the era's candidate asbestos applications.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-33-apl33-04

6. [6]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), PMID 3555021 [other_primary]

   Locator

   Abstract and article record, AJIM 11(3):359-373; PubMed PMID 3555021

   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 Navy-yard program under which APL-33 was built at Boston Navy Yard (keel November 1944, delivered April 1945).

   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-33-apl33-05

7. [7]Fleischer, W.E., Viles, F.J. Jr., Gade, R.L., and Drinker, P., 'A health survey of pipe covering operations in constructing naval vessels,' J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16 (Jan 1946), PMID 21016030 [other_primary]

   Locator

   J Ind Hyg Toxicol 28(1):9-16; PubMed PMID 21016030

   Finding type

   gov_survey

   Finding

   The U.S. Maritime Commission-commissioned industrial-hygiene survey of WWII pipe-covering operations at two Navy yards and two Navy contract yards documented that 'an important ingredient of pipe covering material used on U.S. Navy vessels is amosite' - i.e., asbestos-containing pipe insulation was standard material in wartime naval-vessel construction of this hull's era and builder type (a Navy yard build, 1944-45).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   class_or_era

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1944-1945 survey; published 1946

   Population

   WWII pipe coverers and naval-vessel construction trades (era context)

   Limitations

   Era-level documentation of asbestos use in naval construction generally; the surveyed yards are not identified as Boston Navy Yard and the survey does not name this vessel or class. Establishes nothing about this hull's materials, condition, or any individual exposure.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-33-apl33-06

8. [8]Atlas shipyard dataset (shipyard-exposure-map/client/src/data/shipyards.json): boston-naval-shipyard entry [other_primary]

   Locator

   shipyards.json yard_id 'boston-naval-shipyard'

   Finding type

   historical_record

   Finding

   The builder yard for this hull - Boston Naval Shipyard (Charlestown Navy Yard) - carries a yard-level asbestos entry in the Atlas shipyard dataset: a litigation product-identification row documenting a worker's alleged exposure to John Crane gaskets and sealing materials at Boston Naval Shipyard (In re John Crane, Inc., Tex. App. 1st Dist. 2003), and WWII peak employment of 50,128 (1943).

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   WWII era (yard context)

   Population

   Boston Naval Shipyard workforce (yard-level)

   Limitations

   Yard-level context only - establishes that asbestos litigation exists for the yard that built this hull, not that asbestos was installed aboard APL-33 or that any APL-33 worker was exposed. No asbestos claim about this hull is made from this source.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-33-apl33-07

9. [9]GAO, Navy Efforts To Protect Workers From Asbestos Exposure, HRD-80-2 (Oct 18, 1979) [gao]

   Locator

   GAO product page HRD-80-2

   Finding type

   regulatory

   Finding

   GAO documented that the Navy's standing asbestos-control/removal policy dates from 1975 (removal only when insulation was damaged or required for repairs; modified 1979 to selective replacement in high-maintenance areas). APL-33 was destroyed at sea in June 1946 - nearly three decades before that policy era - so no U.S.-custody abatement record or disposal-phase hazmat documentation is expected to exist for this hull, and none was located.

   Verification

   verified

   Role

   context

   Documentation level

   context_only

   Accessed

   2026-09-26

   Study period

   1975-1979 policy era vs. 1944-1946 existence of this hull

   Limitations

   Program-level context only - GAO HRD-80-2 does not name this hull or class; it bounds what documentation could exist, not what material was aboard. Full text not retrieved (gao.gov blocks automated fetch, HTTP 403) - product-page description relied on per BATCH-01 standing note.

   Atlas source

   true

   Evidence ID

   ev-uss-apl-33-apl33-08

10. [10]CourtListener API v4 opinion and docket sweeps for 'USS APL-33' and 'APL-33' (authenticated, cl-auth-search.py) [court_record]

    Locator

    cl-auth-search.py results logged in search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-33-apl33-12 through -14

    Finding type

    litigation_documented

    Finding

    CourtListener authenticated sweeps 2026-09-26: '"APL-33" asbestos' opinions count=0; '"APL-33"' bare opinions count=0; '"USS APL-33"' opinions count=0 - no opinion in the index names or mentions this hull in any context. '"APL-33"' docket sweep returned 11 dockets / 12 documents, all screened and classified as identifier collisions: SEC v. Chavez (S.D. Tex. 2022, securities), Thweatt v. Nelson Watson (E.D.N.Y. 2013, consumer credit), Smartflash v. Apple (E.D. Tex. 2013, patent), Distribution Systems v. Betta Products (N.D. Cal. 2007, bankruptcy appeal), Robin Tucker x2 (Bankr. N.D. Ill. 2010-11), APL Co. Pte Ltd. v. Blue Water Shipping (S.D.N.Y. 2005, marine contract - 'APL' is American President Lines), KARKEY v. Pakistan (D.D.C. 2018, ICSID), Morales v. Kavulich (S.D.N.Y. 2016, consumer credit), Sensor Electronic v. Bolb (N.D. Cal. 2018, patent), Ultragenyx v. Navinta (D.N.J. 2026, ANDA patent). None is maritime asbestos litigation and none names the vessel - hits land in OCR'd filing text or the American President Lines abbreviation.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    negative_finding

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    sweeps 2026-09-26

    Limitations

    Opinion-index coverage is complete and clean (three zero-hit queries, zero collisions); docket coverage complete at the index level - all 11 hits individually screened as collisions. Residual limits: unindexed state-court filings, settled pleading-stage matters, and dockets not captured in RECAP would not appear. No complaint, discovery record, trial finding, or judgment naming this hull was located.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-apl-33-apl33-09

11. [11]Batch-2488 search ledger (this record): ShipScribe APL-2 class compilation; NPS Charlestown dataset; NHHC CINCPAC Typhoon Louise report (Wayback faq102-6); NavSource APL index; DANFS/NVR probes; NARA deck-log lists; MARAD ShipHistory; Digital Commonwealth; hazegray; GlobalSecurity; CourtListener attempts [other_primary]

    Locator

    search_ledger rows sl-uss-apl-33-apl33-01 through sl-uss-apl-33-apl33-17

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    No qualifying ship-specific asbestos record located: no asbestos survey, abatement contract, hazmat disclosure, plans-level materials statement, museum record, or docketed case naming APL-33 was found in the public sources searched (litigation sweeps completed clean - see ev-09). The hull was scuttled at sea in June 1946, so no present-day materials condition exists to document. No DANFS entry exists (history.navy.mil apl-33 URL returns 404; unnamed service craft). NavSource hosts no page for this hull - the APL index lists 'APL-33' as unlinked plain text and the conventional page URL (09/71/7133.htm) returns HTTP 500.

    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 Navy-yard-built accommodation craft is era-consistent with asbestos-containing insulation and outfitting materials. The negative finding covers searched public sources only; NARA construction records (RG 181, Boston) and deck logs (RG 24) were not physically surveyed. Does not establish or defeat any claim of exposure or legal eligibility.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-apl-33-apl33-10

12. [12]Cross-source convention reconciliation: ShipScribe 'Commiss.' column and NPS 'Commissioned' column (both recording 5 Apr 1945) vs the correct status for noncommissioned service craft; NavSource 'APL-17 Class' page convention (per sister APL-32's page) vs ShipScribe's single 'APL-2 Class' page covering APL 2-58 [other_primary]

    Locator

    shipscribe.com APL02 ship note 33 and table headers; nps.gov CNYShipsBuilt dataset; navsource.net 09/71/7132.htm class heading (APL-32 sister page)

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Commissioning-status and class-label corrections: (1) the batch metadata's 'USS' prefix and secondary table conventions (ShipScribe 'Commiss.' column; NPS 'Commissioned' column entry '1945 Apr 5') could imply a commissioned warship - ShipScribe's ship note records the actual status: 'Completed 4 Apr 45, delivered and placed in service 5 Apr 45.' APLs were noncommissioned Navy service craft manned by an officer-in-charge; 'in service' is carried here. (2) Class label: ShipScribe's compilation treats APL-2 through APL-58 on the 'USS APL-2 Class' page, while NavSource styles later-program hulls 'APL-17 Class' (sister APL-32's page) and Wikipedia's class article is titled 'APL-17-class' - the APL-2 class label is carried per ShipScribe with the divergence noted in gaps.

    Verification

    verified

    Role

    correction

    Documentation level

    ship_specific

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1945

    Limitations

    Terminology corrections only - the 5 Apr 1945 in-service date and class membership are uncontested across sources. Does not affect the asbestos analysis; prevents a 'commissioned warship' misreading and flags the secondary-literature class-label split.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-apl-33-apl33-11

13. [13]NARA Guide to Federal Records: RG 181 (Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments) - 181.3.1 Records of the Boston Navy Yard (Boston, MA) and 181.2.1 Records of the 1st Naval District (Boston, MA), both held at National Archives at Boston; plus RG 24 deck-log guidance and NAVSEA Booklet of General Plans lead [other_primary]

    Locator

    archives.gov guide-fed-records group 181; NARA Boston finding aid 'Navy and Marine Corps Records at Boston'; archives.gov deck-log lists; globalsecurity.org APL drawing table

    Finding type

    historical_record

    Finding

    Archival leads (not retrieved - require research-room, reproduction order, or FOIA; no spend authorized): (a) RG 181.3.1 Boston Navy Yard records at NARA Boston may hold hull-level construction/outfitting records for the Boston-built barges (APL 32-34, built Sep 1944-Apr 1945), including any material schedules; (b) RG 181.2.1 1st Naval District records include the 'Photographs of the First Naval District' series that produced the verified APL-13 launching photograph (Digital Commonwealth commonwealth:fx71bp949) - no APL-33 launching photo is indexed, but the series may hold unindexed coverage; (c) NARA RG 24 deck logs for APL-33 (Apr 1945-Jun 1946) are not on the digitized deck-log list and the SL44 named-vessels web inventory carries no APL hull rows - survival/location of this craft's logs is unverified; textual reference at Archives II is the channel; (d) NAVSEA Booklet of General Plans drawing 1113310 covers the APL-2/APL-17 design (GlobalSecurity listing) - plans may carry materials/insulation callouts; (e) the CINCPAC report's underlying salvage records (RG 38) may document the decision to scuttle the refloated hull.

    Verification

    unverified

    Role

    archival_lead

    Documentation level

    context_only

    Accessed

    2026-09-26

    Study period

    1944-1946 records

    Limitations

    Record-group and channel mapping only - no box-level retrieval performed; existence of asbestos-specific documents for APL-33 is unknown until surveyed in person. Nothing in this row is an asbestos finding.

    Atlas source

    true

    Evidence ID

    ev-uss-apl-33-apl33-12